BRAIN WORM SPEAKS

RFK Jr. doubles down on opposing Gaza cease-fire, invokes Nazi Germany

Lauren Irwin
Fri, June 14, 2024


Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doubled down on his opposition of a cease-fire in Gaza and pointed to what the allied forces did to combat Nazi Germany in the 1940s.

Kennedy joined “Piers Morgan Uncensored” on Thursday and explained his point of view.

“I would say that hostages have to be returned and Hamas has to be disarmed, or else how can you have a peace?” Kennedy said.

Morgan interjected, asking the candidate how he would plan to disarm Hamas.

“We’re not sure how many are left but certainly thousands of them. When they’re embedded now in refugee camps amongst hundreds of thousands of civilians, millions of them,” Morgan said. “And so, every time you … launch an offensive against them, as we saw with the apparent targeted attack of two Hamas terrorists in the Rafah camp, and as you saw with the rescue of these hostages.”

Morgan noted that at least 210 Palestinian civilians were killed by Israel during its rescue operation of four hostages. He then posed another question for Kennedy.

“At what point does this desperation to eliminate the last members of Hamas get overtaken by the sheer volume of civilians being killed in the process, which I cannot believe will do anything longer term than ferment the ideology that drove Hamas in the first place,” Morgan said.

Kennedy responded by detailing an argument between the United Kingdom’s Winston Churchill and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944.

“Roosevelt said we have to denazify Germany and if we don’t denazify Germany … the Nazis are gonna rise up and do the same thing again. Churchill did not want an unconditional surrender for the Nazis. He said, ‘We’re gonna have to kill too many civilians to do that and everybody will fight for the death,’ but Roosevelt won that argument,” Kennedy said.

“We killed about 2 million Germans during World War II in order to get to Berlin and denazify it,” he continued. “Today, Germany is the richest country in Europe, it’s one of the most powerful economies in the world. I think it’s the fourth most powerful and nobody’s scared of Germany because it’s a peaceful country.”

Kennedy argued that he doesn’t see how people are making the argument for a cease-fire because Hamas has proved it only has one goal: to eliminate all Jewish people.

He said a cease-fire would reward Hamas “for taking the hostages and they’re gonna keep taking hostages to get more and more advantage.”

ARCHAEOLOGY

Treasure trove dating back centuries pulled from shipwreck 5,000 feet underwater
Brie Stimson
Fri, June 14, 2024 

Nearly 1,000 cultural relics have been recovered from shipwrecks dating back to the Ming Dynasty — from 1368-1644 — including porcelain and pottery, copper coins, and deer antlers, China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) said in a release Thursday.

The underwater excavation of the shipwrecks began last year and shows that people from the Ming Dynasty used the South China Sea, known as the ancient Maritime Silk Road, as an important trade route, Guan Qiang, deputy head of the NCHA, said.

The wrecks were first discovered in 2022, roughly 5,000 feet below the surface near the northwest continental slope of the South China Sea.

A total of 890 relics like coins, pottery and porcelain were found in the first shipwreck and 38, including pottery, porcelain, turban shells and lumber, were excavated from the second wreck.

A total of 890 relics like coins, pottery and porcelain were found in the first shipwreck and 38, including pottery, porcelain, turban shells and lumber, were excavated from the second wreck.

The excavators used the manned Deep Sea Warrior submersible to retrieve the items from the shipwrecks.

The first ship appeared to mainly export porcelain while the second imported wood.

The ships were found 10 nautical miles apart, according to FOX Weather.

The excavators used the manned Deep Sea Warrior submersible to retrieve the items from the shipwrecks.

"The well-preserved relics are of high historical, scientific and artistic value. It may be a world-class archaeological discovery in the deep sea," Yan Yalin, China’s State Administration of Cultural Heritage archaeological director said after the ships were first discovered.

CARVINGS ON ANCIENT STONE DISCOVERY LEAVE EXPERTS IN AWE

A preliminary judgment of the cultural relics found in the water after the ships were discovered shows they are believed to be from the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty from 1506 to 1521.

Some of the relics found on two Ming Dynasty-era shipwrecks.

Numerous logs were also found, which were of similar size and neatly stacked, on the other ship. Some items on this ship possibly dated back to the reign of Emperor Hongzhi (1488-1505).

The agency said it was the first time ancient ships sailing and returning to the same sea area had been discovered in the country.

The excavation of the shipwrecks is connected to China's territorial claims on the South China Sea with its "nine-dash-line" policy, which has been disputed in international court.

FOX Weather's Chris Oberholtz contributed to this report.


Ancient Chinese Shipwrecks Reveal Priceless Treasures Dating Back to the Ming Dynasty

Chris Malone Méndez

MENS JOURNAL
Fri, June 14, 2024 

The Ming Dynasty marked a pivotal period in Chinese history. It characterized nearly 300 years of life in region and produced some valuable goods that often still survive to this day behind museum glass.

More than 400 years after the end of the dynasty, scientists are still uncovering treasures from this era. On June 13, China's National Cultural Heritage Administration announced that maritime archaeologists have recovered more than 900 pieces of cultural relics from two shipwrecks in the South China Sea. The mission started last year and was a joint endeavor by various research institutes and a local museum.

The two Ming Dynasty shipwrecks were first discovered in 2022 nearly 5,000 feet below the surface of the South China Sea. According to a statement from the Chinese government, researchers excavated 890 artifacts from the first one, including copper coins and porcelain and pottery items, and 38 pieces of history from the second one, such as lumber, porcelain and pottery products, turban shells, and deer antlers.

The finds seemingly indicate that the South China Sea was a well-traveled route for the Chinese back then. According to NCHA deputy head Guan Qiang, the ships likely saw some historic encounters and exchanges along the Maritime Silk Road. The discoveries at such a deep part of the ocean, Guan said, speak to incredible accomplishments in maritime archaeology.



You truly never know what lies beneath the surface.

Carvings on ancient stone discovery leave experts in awe

Andrea Vacchiano
Thu, June 13, 2024 

Carvings on ancient stone discovery leave experts in awe
Spanish archaeologists uncovered an ancient alphabet while excavating an ancient Tartessian site.

Spanish archaeologists recently announced the discovery of an ancient stone with perplexing symbols carved onto it.

The symbols, experts believe, are actually an ancient alphabet. If their interpretation of the tablet is correct, the slab is the third-ever "southern Paleo-Hispanic alphabet of which there is evidence," according to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

In a press release translated from Spanish to English, CSIC explained that the stone was discovered at the Casas del Turuñuelo, which are Tartessian ruins in the southwestern Spanish province of Badajoz. The slate is around 8 inches long and dates back as early as 600 B.C.

Tartessos was an ancient civilization that occupied the southern Iberian Peninsula over 3,000 years ago. The civilization is considered "lost" because of how few remnants of it survive, and the discovery of the slate is part of a project called "Building Tartessus".

"[The study's] main objective is to characterize the Tartessian material culture through the architectural analysis of the large adobe buildings excavated in recent decades and introduce the concept of architecture as an integrated element in the territory," the CSIC's

On the stone tablet, experts identified "what appears to be a sequence of 21 signs drawn within the framework of the tablet on which figures were also found of warriors."

Tartessos was an ancient civilization that occupied the southern Iberian Peninsula over 3,000 years ago - and experts are working to decode the civilization's alphabet.

Joan Ferrer i Jané, a researcher from the University of Barcelona, recognized the artifact as Tartessian.

"Beyond the figures, when I looked at the plate, I saw that on one of the sides there seemed to be a Paleo-Hispanic sign, a sign that cannot be confused with any other," he explained. "Other strokes compatible with signs of a known sequence [were also seen]."

"This alphabet has 27 signs and is the only complete one we know to date," he added. "Another was found in the excavation of Villasviejas del Tamuja (Cáceres) but it is very fragmented, it only has some central signs… [this one] would be the third and would provide a lot of information."


The Tartessian alphabet has some lost letters, experts believe.

According to CSIC, there are 21 signs, or letters, drawn on the tablet. It is considered incomplete, and experts believe it once held as many as 32 symbols.

"At least 6 signs would have been lost in the split area of the piece, but if it were completely symmetrical and the signs completely occupied three of the four sides of the plate it could reach 32 signs, so the lost signs could become eleven or perhaps more if a possible sign, ‘Tu’, isolated in the lateral quarter, were part of the alphabet," Ferrer explained.

Picture shows the Casas de Turunuelo Tartessian archaeological site in Guarena, in the western Spanish region of Extremadura on April 17, 2024.

"After studying the images, everything indicates that it is a southern writing alphabet with the initial sequence ABeKaTuIKeLBaNS?ŚTaUE," he added.

Original article source: Carvings on ancient stone discovery leave experts in awe

Peso Rout Shaves $16 Billion Off Fortunes of Mexico’s Wealthiest


Daniel Cancel
Thu, Jun 13, 2024,

(Bloomberg) -- The rout in the Mexican peso after the stronger-than-expected victory by President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has delivered a blow to the country’s wealthiest business people

Since the June 2 election, the collective fortunes of five Mexican moguls among the world’s 500 richest people, including Carlos Slim and German Larrea, tumbled $16 billion to $153 billion through Wednesday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The peso rose Thursday for the first time in three sessions — gaining 1% against the US dollar — though the currency is still down 8.5% this year.

The “super peso” under outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had buoyed the billionaires for the past six years even as other emerging market currencies weakened. Now the uncertainty around constitutional reforms that may be pushed through before he leaves in October is unwinding much of the gains.

While none of the proposed reforms directly target industries like telecom, mining and media that have minted their fortunes, the possibility of overhauling the judiciary could damage the rule of law in the country and sour the investment environment.

Among the top five, only Juan Beckmann, the patriarch behind the family that owns Jose Cuervo tequila, has seen his net worth increase, climbing $270 million to $7.2 billion.

Slim, who fell below the $100 billion mark after the vote and frequently met with Lopez Obrador, was seen chatting with Sheinbaum at an event this week at his museum in Mexico City.

Since winning the presidency, Sheinbaum hasn’t publicly acknowledged any sit-down meetings with local business leaders. Instead, she has shared photographs of meetings with representatives for international companies such as BlackRock Inc. and Walmart Inc.

--With assistance from Jack Witzig and Carolina Millan.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

Opinion: US Supreme Court Abortion Pill Ruling Is No Victory for Women’s Rights

Shan Wu
Thu, June 13, 2024

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuter

To borrow a phrase, the import of the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision preserving access to an abortion pill is akin to a “tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Handed down amidst the tempest over Justice Alito’s wife Martha-Ann’s habit of flying politically loaded flags at their houses while he rules on politically loaded cases, and further revelations of Justice Thomas friends-with-hundreds-of-thousands-of-dollars-worth-of-benefits relationship to billionaire conservative Harlan Crow, the case could be seen as an attempt to show the high court can still act with unity even on so-called “liberal causes.”

The Fight Over the Abortion Pill Is Only Just Beginning

One could even speculate that Chief Justice John Roberts managed to persuade his charges to throw a bone to the left in preparation for a yet-to-come decision on Trump’s plea for presidential immunity that will at the very least punt any possibility that Special Counsel Jack Smith can try the Ja.n 6 case before the 2024 election.

But the reality of the ruling in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine is quite different.

On its face, Justice Brett Kavanaugh appeared to revert to a more traditional approach of deciding cases on narrow grounds. Such a style avoids making big decisions whenever possible under the theory that it’s better for jurisprudential health to choose carefully from a buffet of legal choices rather than ravenously consume everything in sight.

Showing off the vigor of a more youthful style of writing, Kavanaugh invoked the ghost of Antonin Scalia in characterizing the doctrine of standing as being “What’s in it for you?” He analyzed whether the plaintiffs —an alliance of doctors and patients—had legal standing to challenge the FDA’s regulation of the drug mifepristone and the practice of it being mailed nationally. Mifepristone, a drug that blocks the hormone progesterone which is critical to pregnancy, is used with another drug misoprostol and accounted for nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year.

Kavanaugh concluded that the plaintiffs’ assertion of “sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to mifepristone being prescribed and used by others” was not sufficient to meet legal requirements for “standing” to sue. His opinion also pointed that laws already exist that protect doctors from being forced to provide medical treatment that may be “against their conscience.”

The technical nature of the decision, which avoided weighing in on either the legal or moral merits of the debate over abortion, likely made it easier to get unanimity among a court split along liberal and conservative lines. That split reached a zenith last year in the Dobbs decision in which the conservative majority overturned a half-century of protection for women’s right to contraception.

Today, abortion is banned at all stages of pregnancy in 14 states, and after about six weeks of pregnancy in three others, often before women realize they’re pregnant. But the very fact that the decision was decided on technical grounds means that the case is no victory for women’s rights, nor a hint of how the high court will ultimately rule on the abortion drug issue.

Zero doubt exists that the issue is returning to the justices, given that the opinion left room for legal action by three red states—Idaho, Kansas and Missouri—which the extreme-right trial judge had allowed to intervene in the case. Still to come this term is a case to be decided about whether emergency rooms must provide abortions in critical situations.

SCOTUS also skirted the issue of whether the mailing of abortion medication violates the Comstock Act of 1873 which prohibits the mailing of contraceptive aids. As pointed out in Slate, by Dhalia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern, “Conservative lawyers and judges are foaming at the mouth to revive this zombie anti-vice law, which puritanical male legislators enacted during a fit of moral panic about women’s equality.”

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022.
Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo/Reuters

When the high court does finally reach the Comstock law issue, keep an eye out for Justice Alito’s love of ancient misogynistic legal minds like Sir Matthew Hale, the 17th century witch-hunter Alito lovingly cited in Dobbs. The founder of the Comstock law, Anthony Comstock, was a fervent Christian who believed that contraception promoted lust and lewdness, which ought to make Justice Alito drool with fan-boy delight.

The avoidant nature of the unanimous decision may give Chief Justice Roberts some brief respite from the fracturing sounds of a court coming apart at its foundation, and also maybe give the Republicans a little help in making abortion less of an election issue. But the concurring opinion by Justice Thomas makes plain that there is no peace at hand for the conservative Christian warriors on the high court.

In a completely needless concurrence, Thomas pointed out that the very concept of “associational standing” deserves critical legal scrutiny. Thomas makes no effort to hide his real agenda when he writes: “So, just as abortionists lack standing to assert the rights of their clients, doctors who oppose abortion cannot vicariously assert the rights of their patients.”

Note how Thomas does considers patients of “abortionists” to be less than patients. With this assertion, Thomas signals his belief that associations like the NAACP should not be able to sue on behalf of their members. In other words, individuals would need to come forward and sue in their individual capacity. As pointed out by NYU law professor Melissa Murray, this was precisely why the doctrine of associational standing was asserted in 1958 by the NAACP, which argued that making individuals file cases would expose them to threats of violence. She makes plain that Thomas’ attack on the doctrine is a way to restrict civil rights lawsuits.

Ironically, that 1958 NAACP case was argued by a young lawyer and future Supreme Court Justice named Thurgood Marshall. It is Marshall’s seat on SCOTUS that Thomas took over.

DESANTISLAND

Disney is once again giving money to anti-LGBTQ+ Republicans who passed the "Don't Say Gay" law

Nicholas Liu
Thu, June 13, 2024 

Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Castle AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Image
The Walt Disney Corporation, which runs a theme park fiefdom in Orlando and wields outsized clout in Florida politics, is once again donating money to state politicians after a two-year hiatus following the fallout over "Don't Say Gay" legislation.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the recipients include Republicans who supported the law that banned discussions about LGBTQ+ issues in public schools through third grade, even though the company, under pressure from its employees, previously opposed the measure, officially called the Parental Rights in Education bill.

Disney has now shelled out $87,000 in political donations, according to the most recent campaign filings, most of the money going to political committees connected with state lawmakers, including state Rep. Josie Tomkow, state Sen. Jason Brodeur and state Sen. Joe Gruters, all Republicans who voted for the "Don't Say Gay" legislation.


Disney did not respond to a request for comment.

Despite allegations from the right that it has aggressively promoted liberal causes, Disney did not initially take a public position on the "Don't Say Gay" law, sparking protests from its employees, who urged the company to use its political influence to protect LGBTQ+ workers and their families. In response, then-CEO Bob Chapek called the bill a "challenge to basic human rights," apologized to the employees for not taking action sooner and, beginning in March 2022, suspended Disney's political contributions.

Disney, until then one of the largest political contributors in Florida (giving $55 million over the past 28 years), also vowed to push for the law's repeal, provoking GOP lawmakers and Governor Ron DeSantis to deride it as a "woke corporation," hit back at the company with a law that stripped Disney of its special tax-exempt status, and even pass other measures to punish Disney employees.

Disney sued Florida, arguing that the state was infringing on its First Amendment rights. But the two sides eventually came to a settlement, opening up another round of negotiations over the development agreement between the company and a board appointed by DeSantis to oversee the Disney-run district that encompasses Walt Disney World. Disney, for its part, agreed to drop its two state lawsuits and put the brakes on a federal lawsuit.

Since then, Disney and DeSantis have enjoyed a détente of sorts, with DeSantis cooling his anti-Disney rhetoric and even floating a fifth Disney theme park in Florida. He also appointed his former legislative director, Stephanie Kopelousos, to lead the newly constituted Disney World’s Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD), a move apparently designed to appease the company. Kopelousos previously helped insert an exemption for Disney into a 2021 bill pushed by DeSantis to crack down on Big Tech companies, although the exemption was later pulled after the Disney-DeSantis feud broke out.

Disney, which is anticipating a major, $60 billion expansion in its theme park operations in Florida and across the globe, reached an agreement with DeSantis on Wednesday night, which allows the company to invest $17 billion in planned development at Walt Disney World without interference for the next 15 years.

Moreover, Disney counts on the support of the state to maintain a privileged status that exempts them from a host of taxes, regulations and fees, and allows it to exercise the powers of an autonomous government, including the issuance of bonds and oversight of its own firefighters. Those, of course, are all on the table of ongoing negotiations over the development agreement.

Even before the donations were revealed, the company's potential reversal was previewed in a shareholder meeting in which a proposal to require the company to be more transparent about its donations was voted down. The vote was met with backlash from some shareholders, who feared that Disney might once again give money to Florida Republicans.

“We believe it’s time for Disney to provide accountability to shareholders that it is spending its political dollars wisely and in alignment with its core principles and interests,” Laura Nixon, an official from the Educational Foundation of America, a shareholder group that funds progressive causes, told Florida Politics. “In recent years, Disney contributed over $100,000 to an administration that took aim at Disney’s employees, mocked the company’s values at a national level and then punished Disney by diminishing its tax breaks and degree of self-governance.”



Disney's feud with DeSantis is over — and it's donating to Republicans again

Grace Eliza Goodwin,Lauren Edmonds
Updated Thu, June 13, 2024 


Disney is once again donating to politicians — just months after ending its feud with Ron DeSantis.


It's even donating to Florida Republicans who voted for the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill.


Disney executives' opposition of the bill sparked a yearslong conflict with DeSantis.

Since ending its feud with Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, Disney has wasted no time donating to Republicans again.

The Walt Disney Comany gave more than $87,000 worth of in-kind, or nonmonetary, donations to political committees, including Republican lawmakers, in the months of April and May, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

That's an about-face for the House of Mouse, which had paused political donations as it brawled with DeSantis.

The yearslong feud first started in 2022 when Disney executives publicly opposed DeSantis' bill — which has since been signed into law — that restricts discussions of gender and sexual orientation in classrooms.

Critics called the legislation the "Don't Say Gay" bill.

In response to its opposition, DeSantis grabbed control of the board that oversees Disney World's special tax district, renaming it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and replacing all of its board members with his own.

Disney, in turn, sued, arguing it was being politically targeted; DeSantis' board sued right back.

The legal back-and-forth finally ended in March when DeSantis' handpicked board agreed to settle the lawsuit brought by Disney.

Now, ironically, Disney is supporting some Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the so-called "Don't Say Gay," bill, the Sentinel reported.

That includes an in-kind donation worth more than $16,000 to Florida Farmers and Ranchers United, a group associated with Rep. Josie Tomkow, campaign-finance records show. Tomkow voted for the bill, officially called the Parental Rights in Education Act.

Disney also gave about $10,000 each to two committees affiliated with the Republican state senators Jason Brodeur and Joe Gruters, campaign-finance records show. Both state lawmakers also supported the controversial bill.

Though Disney has resumed in-kind donations, Sen. Geraldine Thompson, a Democrat, has said Disney headquarters has not yet approved monetary donations, the Sentinel reported.

Perhaps the most significant sign of a final détente between Disney and the DeSantis administration came Wednesday when the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District approved Disney's $17 billion development deal.

The deal allows Disney to spend billions on its Walt Disney World properties in the next 10 to 20 years, potentially on an expansion to build a fifth park.

Disney, in return, must award half of its related construction work to Florida-based businesses and spend $10 million on "attainable housing projects." The company must also donate 100 acres of its land to the tourism district.



Disney and DeSantis end conflict with deal on 15-year expansion plan

NY Post
Thu, June 13, 2024


Disney and DeSantis End Conflict , With Deal on 15-Year Expansion Plan. Disney and DeSantis End Conflict , With Deal on 15-Year Expansion Plan. Disney and the Florida governor have been at odds since 2022, when Disney's former CEO, Bob Chapek, criticized Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. Disney and the Florida governor have been at odds since 2022, when Disney's former CEO, Bob Chapek, criticized Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. From that point on, Gov. DeSantis seemed to do whatever he could to make it difficult for Disney to operate and expand in Florida. But the two parties have finally reached an agreement to end their feud, Reuters reports. . The Walt Disney World Resort will be allowed to continue development in the Orlando area for the next 15 years. The company said it would shell out at least $8 billion over 10 years, . and $17 billion over the next 10 to 20 years. . Disney will also grow its affordable housing initiative and make sure that at least half of its spending for the project goes to Florida businesses. Additionally, the company will be allowed to build another theme park, add more retail and office spaces... and expand its hotel rooms by about 14,000. Disney President Jeff Vahle issued a statement. This new development agreement paves the way for us to invest billions of dollars in Walt Disney World Resort, , Jeff Vahle, Disney president, via statement . ... supporting the growth of this global destination, fueling the Florida economy, and allowing us to deliver even more memorable and extraordinary experiences for our guests, Jeff Vahle, Disney president, via statement

GOOD OLD FASHIONED;'DIRTY TRICKS'

White House Slams New York Post For Cropping Video To Make It Seem As If Joe Biden Was Wandering Away At G7 Summit: “They Just Lie”

Ted Johnson
Fri, June 14, 2024

The White House is slamming the New York Post for pushing out a video on social media, and later a cover story, claiming that President Joe Biden wandered off as he and other world leaders watched a skydiving demonstration at the G7 summit in Italy.

The Post video came with the message, “President Biden appeared to wander off at the G7 summit in Italy, with officials needing to pull him back to focus.”

But White House spokesman Andrew Bates noted that the video that the Post shared was cropped, missing the context of what Biden was doing: Speaking and congratulating another skydiver as some of the other world leaders were observing a separate diver.

Bates shared the video with the wider angle and wrote, “The Murdoch outlets are so desperate to distract from @POTUS‘s record that they just lie. Here, they use an artificially narrow frame to hide from viewers that he just saw a skydiving demonstration. He’s saying congratulations to one of the divers and giving a thumbs up.” Bates also included the Post’s video edit.

The video was shared across media on the right, including for a digital story written for Sinclair Broadcast Group’s The National Desk for posting on local station websites. That story picked up on the Post’s cropped video. The story also referred to claims of an incident last week of Biden at D-Day celebrations. The video showed Biden pausing before sitting, in what right wing figures claimed was the president’s confusion over a non-existent chair. In fact, a longer version of the video shows the president’s pause was as Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was about to be introduced. The video then showed Biden taking his seat in that very spot.

The New York Post also featured the G7 incident for the cover of its print edition, with the headline, “Meander in Chief.”

Bates later wrote on X, “Rupert Murdoch remains jealous of a younger man running a more complex operation.”

A spokesperson for the Post, owned by News Corp., did not return a request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for News Corp.

“Beware cheap fakes … and all the bad faith actors who post them,” wrote White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt.

Last week, Sinclair stations picked up a story in The Wall Street Journal that reported that Biden was “slipping,” with accounts of the president during certain meetings with lawmakers. But the White House and other critics noted that the story included only one critical on-the-record source, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The site Popular Information compiled videos of Sinclair anchors in different markets reading identical copy about the Journal story. Morning Joe, among other outlets, featured the compilation.

Sinclair called the criticisms “outrageous and offensive” and claimed that it had “covered this story from both sides of the political aisle.” The script included some of the pushback from Democrats over the Journal story. The station group also defended the use of the same script across stations, calling it a “common practice in the industry” and noting that  affiliates “often use a preproduced script for a package that has been provided by a different media source.

Tyson Foods heir suspended as CFO after second alcohol-related arrest

This Nov. 6, 2022 booking photo provided by the Washington County, Ark., Sheriff's Office shows John Tyson, Tyson Foods chief financial officer, following his arrest for public intoxication. Tyson was arrested again on Thursday, June 13, 2024, for DWI.

 (Washington County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

DEE-ANN DURBIN
Updated Thu, Jun 13, 2024,

Tyson Foods suspended its chief financial officer – a great-grandson of the company’s founder – after his arrest Thursday on charges of driving while intoxicated.

John R. Tyson, 34, was arrested early Thursday by University of Arkansas police in Fayetteville, Arkansas, according to police records. He was also charged with careless driving and making an illegal turn.

Tyson was released from custody later Thursday on a $1,105 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 15.

Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods said in a statement Thursday that it was aware of the arrest and immediately suspended John R. Tyson. He is the son of Tyson Foods Chairman John H. Tyson and a former investment banker who joined Tyson Foods in 2019.

Tyson Foods named Curt Calaway as its interim chief financial officer. Calaway has had an 18-year career at Tyson, most recently serving as treasurer and senior vice president of finance and corporate development.

It was the second time in less than two years that John R. Tyson was arrested on alcohol-related charges. In November 2022, he was charged with public intoxication and criminal trespassing after allegedly entering a stranger’s home in Fayetteville and falling asleep in her bed.

John R. Tyson sent a companywide email apologizing for that incident, saying he was embarrassed and was getting counseling for alcohol abuse. He later pleaded guilty to those charges and settled them by paying fines and court fees.

Arun Sundaram, an equity analyst with the financial research firm CFRA, said John R. Tyson had been considered a potential future CEO, a role that historically has been held by Tyson family members. But Sundaram said there are now “legitimate concerns about his ability to continue as an executive officer.”

Sundaram said Calaway would be “an excellent choice for Tyson's permanent CEO should the company decide to part ways with John R. Tyson.”

Tyson shares fell 1.5% to close at $53.86 Thursday.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for TYSON FOODS 

DESANTISLAND

Florida education panel decides former teacher who supported Black Lives Matter can reapply for her teaching license

Carlos Suarez, Denise Royal and Ray Sanchez, CNN
Thu, June 13, 2024 


A former Jacksonville, Florida, teacher who said she was fired for displaying a Black Lives Matter flag outside her high school classroom will be able to reapply for her teaching license, an attorney representing the teacher confirmed to CNN.

Attorney Mark Richard said a five-member panel of Florida’s Education Practices Commission agreed with an administrative judge’s recommendation that Amy Donofrio receive a written reprimand after state officials accused the teacher of bringing her personal views into the classroom.

“Black students matter, and they are worth fighting for 100 percent every single day,” Donofrio said after the hearing. “Teachers across the state feel that way too.”

Donofrio said her goal remains to return to the classroom. Her contract with the school was not renewed after the 2020-21 school year.

“It’s a big day in Florida for teachers,” Richard told CNN. “You can stand up to a system that’s been attacking teachers and prevail.”

Thursday’s hearing was prompted by administrative law judge Suzanne Van Wyk’s April recommendation that Donofrio receive a written reprimand for wearing and displaying face masks that read “Robert E. Lee was a gang member” as the district was in the process of renaming six schools.

Donofrio was a beloved and highly regarded high school teacher in Jacksonville, where for years she sought to empower students and advocate for racial justice.

Outside the room where she taught English to mostly Black students at the former Robert E. Lee High School she had placed a sign that read, “Hate Has No Home Here,” according to the April order by an administrative law judge.

“Ms. Donofrio was a pillar for us,” former student Diamond Wallace, 24, told CNN this week. “She acted as a rock for us and she was more like a mom, like a second mom to all of us students.”

At the start of the 2020 school year, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police in Minneapolis, Donofrio, who is White, put up a large “Black Lives Matter” banner outside her classroom. She had displayed a BLM sign and t-shirt in her classroom as early as 2018, according to findings in the administrative judge’s recommendation.

Administrators asked her to remove it, and expressed concern the display might violate school district policy. Donofrio refused. She said she believed the policy did not apply to the banner. On March 23, 2021, a school administrator removed the banner – about five months after she was first asked to bring it down. A day later Donofrio was reassigned to a work at a district warehouse.

School officials had also voiced concerns that Donofrio displayed Robert E. Lee face masks in her classroom – which they considered to be an expression of her personal view. At the time the school district was in the process of renaming six schools named for Confederate generals. Donofrio denied the masks – which were common during the pandemic – were on display. She said the logo “I am not a gang member” was a phrase students use as part of their advocacy of racial justice, according to the administrative judge’s findings.

Van Wyk’s order noted in part that the “offense was not severe” and there was no danger or harm to the public or students. The judge determined there was no evidence that Donofrio “failed to distinguish between her personal views and those of the School, or District” when she displayed the Black Lives Matter banner or that it went against district policy, according to her findings.

The five-person panel of the Education Practices Commission – a member of law enforcement, a parent and three teachers – had the final say and could have revoked her teaching license. The quasi-judicial state agency imposes discipline on teachers and school administrators.

“I’m not doing the thing that I was born to do, that I loved more than anything and I’m having to fight to get it back,” Donofrio, who taught at the school for nine years but has not been allowed back in a Florida classroom since 2021, told CNN earlier this week.

She added, “School is supposed to be a safe place for students. It’s about them.”

Florida Education officials didn’t respond to CNN’s request for comment ahead of the hearing.

The decision on Donofrio’s future as a teacher came at a time when Florida’s classrooms have become front lines in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ culture wars, which have taken aim at every aspect of education from formal classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity to what public schools teach about racism and American history to what books students can read and what bathrooms they can use.

“Our school system should be about educating kids not indoctrinating kids,” DeSantis told reporters in May 2023.
‘I’m a passionate, quality teacher’

In 2021, the BLM banner hanging over Donofrio’s classroom door, as well as her outspokenness on racial justice, became a political flash point across the state. Her advocacy of racial justice was brought up in discussions about whether the school should abandon its Confederate namesake. The school was renamed Riverside High School in June 2021.

Days before the banner was taken down, the district published a memo that stated “employees are not permitted to display flags, banners or other signage representing a particular social cause or movement in a manner that may be interpreted as District speech,” and identified “Black Lives Matter” as “an expression of support for a social justice movement,” according to the administrative judge’s recommended order.

Florida’s former education commissioner called it an example of “indoctrination” and “critical race theory” in schools – even though the discipline was not part of Donofrio’s curriculum.

“There was an entire classroom memorialized to Black Lives Matter,” the former commissioner, Richard Corcoran, told reporters at the time. “We made sure she was terminated.”

Donofrio was not fired even as she defied multiple requests from school officials to take down the flag. She also challenged the district on its treatment of Black students and staff.

The Jacksonville, Florida, school formerly named Robert E. Lee High School is seen in this August 2020 file photo. - Edward Kerns II/MediaPunch/AP

Her students responded by collecting nearly 18,000 signatures on a public petition calling for her return.

“I wasn’t removed for anything having to do with my teaching,” Donofrio said. “No one has ever been able to say anything. Nor of my test scores, right, reflected anything but that I’m a passionate, quality teacher.”

Donofrio eventually sued Duval County Public Schools and its regional high school superintendent in federal court, alleging that the district retaliated against her “for her protected speech, her complaints about discrimination, and, more broadly, her support of Black students’ lives,” according to a complaint filed in April 2021. The school board paid $300,000 to settle the lawsuit in 2021, according to CNN affiliate WJXT.

“I really thought that things were kind of moving forward and then suddenly, we turned human compassion into something that’s controversial,” Donofrio said.

Donofrio’s outspokenness on racial justice was not new. Even before she put out the Black Lives Matter flag, she had led a course for several years to empower Black students through professional development, college preparation and civic engagement.

“For her to be able to make teenagers feel comfortable enough to come in her classroom and express the trauma that they have gone through voluntarily, that’s a gift,” said Wallace’s mother, Renita Turner.

Donofrio and her students earned national attention, and the course eventually became the organization known as the EVAC Movement. Students traveled to the White House in 2016 and met with congressional leaders. Then-President Barack Obama met with them when he visited Jacksonville.

“It is honestly the most beautiful thing I have ever been a part of,” Donofrio recalled this week, referring to the EVAC movement and the attention it garnered for her students.

“Teachers have gathered to swing back in the name of teaching honest history, teaching honestly to their students,” said Donofrio’s lawyer, Mark Richard. “We do not want to be caught in these culture wars.”

Donofrio added, “My students matter, teachers who care about students matter … I have no doubt that with or without me, they’re going to change the world.”

CNN’s Harmeet Kaur contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated whom CNN reached out to for comment. It was the Florida Department of Education.

Judge rejects bankruptcy plan for Alex Jones’ Infowars but allows him to liquidate his personal assets

Jon Passantino, Nicki Brown, Oliver Darcy and Hadas Gold, CNN
Fri, Jun 14, 2024

A Texas bankruptcy judge has rejected a proposed liquidation of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ company Free Speech Systems, the parent company of Infowars, saying that a denial of the bankruptcy plan was, in his opinion, in the best interest of the creditors. But the judge approved a separate liquidation of Jones’ personal assets.

Judge Chris Lopez said the Infowars bankruptcy process had dragged on and that it needed to stop “incurring costs” and let the families of Sandy Hook victims try to claim what they are owed through state courts. The families have not received payment of the approximately $1.5 billion in damages against Jones that they have won after he lied about the 2012 school massacre.

“The right call is to dismiss this case,” Lopez said Friday.

Lopez made his ruling in a lengthy decision where he seemed emotional at times, once even noting the timing of this decision being made shortly before Father’s Day.

“I think it needed to happen,” he said towards the end of the hearing. “I wish I would’ve picked a better day.”

Unanswered questions

The rejection of the bankruptcy plan leaves many questions to sort out in the decision’s wake. Among them: What happens next for Infowars? And what legal avenues remain for the victims’ families to collect the massive sum Jones still owes them?

This judgment could be viewed as a partial victory for Jones, who fought the liquidation proposal – but so too did some families, whose attorneys said they’ll benefit more from the bankruptcy plan’s dismissal by going after Jones’ assets immediately – rather than waiting for a prolonged bankruptcy procedure to play out.

That ruling leaves Free Speech Systems to face its creditors outside of bankruptcy in state courts, noted Marie Reilly, professor of bankruptcy law at Penn State University.

In a statement, an attorney for the families said they would press on.

“Today is a good day. Alex Jones has lost ownership of Infowars, the corrupt business he has used for years to attack the Connecticut families and so many others,” said Chris Mattei, an attorney for the families. “The Court authorized us to move immediately to collect against all Infowars assets, and we intend to do exactly that.”

Lopez noted that the case is far from over. The interim trustee, and later the permanent trustee , in Jones’ personal case will ultimately decided Infowars’ fate.

“Those trustees will make decisions about where things go,” he said. “We’re not leaving thing s into the wind here.”

Jay Westbrook, a University of Texas bankruptcy law professor, said that Infowars could still be sold by the court-appointed trustee to pay some of the damages owed to the families, but it would likely not fetch a high price.

“Jones owns [Free Speech Systems] and thus his bankruptcy trustee could sell it, but without his active promotion it may be of little value, except for its inventory of products he has been selling,” Westbrook said.

Jones had been opposed to liquidating Infowars and in recent days ranted on his show about what could be its impending shutdown, urging his audience to buy his products to support him.

“I’m going to try to move forward and maximize the amount of money we can make at Info wars to then have a wind-down,” Jones said outside the court house after the hearing Friday.

Jones’ attorney, Vickie Driver, applauded the decision, saying the judge was fair in his review of the unique aspects of the case.

“Mr. Jones did everything he could to preserve as much value as he could in Free Speech Systems to pay the plaintiffs,” Driver said.

Westbrook said if Jones continues at Infowars, it could maximize the amount of money the victims families could draw from it.

“The problem is that Jones’ appeal to his audience, awful as it is to say it, is probably the only thing of value he has that is not exempt in Texas and it is very difficult to make him use it to benefit anyone else,” Westbrook said.
Jones’ personal bankruptcy approved

Earlier on Friday, Lopez approved the liquidation of Jones’ personal assets after the conspiracy theorist agreed to convert his personal bankruptcy into a Chapter 7 liquidation last week. The liquidation means that Jones will immediately lose control of his property except for certain exempt property, such as a $2 million house in Austin.

Jones’ decision to seek bankruptcy protection comes after he agreed to demands from the families of Sandy Hook victims.

The judge said an interim trustee will be appointed to oversee Jones’ estate, as is standard in these cases. Jones’ attorney Vickie Driver told the court $2.8 million from the sale of Jones’ ranch could be sent to the trustee.

Jones founded Infowars, an influential conspiracy empire, in the late 1990s. Over the years, Jones has used the media company to poison the public discourse with lies and conspiracy theories, and he also enriched himself, making millions of dollars in the process.

Whatever proceeds are gained from Jones’ personal bankruptcy will amount to just a fraction of what he owes families of Sandy Hook victims.

The families argued to the court that there is “no prospect” the Jones’ company could produce a proper reorganization plan under a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which would allow the company to remain operational through its restructuring.

The judge’s rulings on Friday would not prevent Jones from spreading conspiracy theories and lies online. X CEO Elon Musk restored Jones’ social media account in December 2023 after a five-year ban from the platform. And Jones could go on any number of far-right outlets to share his outlandish views.

But the Sandy Hook families are hoping to seize Jones’ social media accounts, arguing they are a key part of his Infowars business that allow Jones to promote his brand. And Jones may not be welcome at some venues: He had been listed as a guest on the Milwaukee stop on Tucker Carlson’s live tour but was recently dropped from the lineup without explanation.
Lies and conspiracy theories

Since founding Infowars in the late 1990s, Jones has pushed several conspiracy theories, including the lie that the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, mass school shooting was a so-called “false flag” operation staged by the government and that the grieving family members of 20 child victims were “actors.” Jones makes money on those conspiracy theories by hawking high-priced dietary supplements to his audience.

The mood Friday on Jones’ Infowars was somber, with the far-right outlet’s hosts speculating on its future. Chase Geiser, an Infowars host who had driven with Jones to the courthouse where the bankruptcy hearing was underway, made a brief appearance on the outlet, attempting to twist the judge’s decision as one that would net Jones an even larger audience.

Jones’ regularly scheduled program was replaced with previously recorded interviews, airing conversations with Tucker Carlson and Russell Brand.

This story has been updated with additional developments and context.

CNN’s Liam Reilly contributed to this report

Unsafe levels of E. coli found in Paris' Seine River less than 2 months before Olympics

MORE DANGEROUS THAN A SHARK!

TOM NOUVIAN
Updated Sat, June 15, 2024 





Paris Seine Bacteria
he Alexander III bridge, center, is visible July 11, 2023, in Paris. In 2024. Water in the Seine River had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday, June 14, 2024.

 (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla, File)

PARIS (AP) — Water in the Seine River had unsafe elevated levels of E. coli less than two months before swimming competitions are scheduled to take place in it during the Paris Olympics, according to test results published Friday.

Contamination levels in the first eight days of June, after persistent heavy rain in Paris, showed bacteria such as E. coli and enterococci beyond limits judged safe for athletes.

The report was published by monitoring group Eau de Paris one day after a senior International Olympic Committee executive said there were “no reasons to doubt” races will go ahead as scheduled in a historic downtown stretch of the Seine near the Eiffel Tower.

The first Olympic event in the cleaned-up Seine is men’s triathlon, including a 1.5-kilometer (under 1 mile) swim, on the morning of July 30. The women’s triathlon is the next day and a mixed relay event is on Aug. 5.

Marathon swimming races over 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) for women and men are scheduled on Aug. 8 and 9, respectively, in waters that were historically polluted before a $1.5 billion investment ahead of the Olympics

“We are confident that we will swim in the Seine this summer,” IOC official Christophe Dubi said Thursday at an online briefing after hearing an update Paris from city officials and Olympic organizers.

Despite the IOC’s publicly expressed confidence, the final decision on approving the events safe for athletes should rest with the governing bodies of individual sports, World Aquatics and World Triathlon.

The safety of the Seine water for the Olympics has been in doubt since some test events scheduled last August were cancelled, also after unseasonal heavy rains.

According to European standards, the safe limit for E. coli is 900 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. The World Triathlon Federation uses the same criteria to determine sufficient water quality for competitions.

During the first eight days of June, test results showed that E. coli levels frequently exceeded these thresholds. Enterococci levels were better, mostly staying within safe limits. The tests indicated an improvement, from high contamination levels on June 1 to more acceptable levels by June 9, mainly due to improved weather.

Rainwater infiltrates the sewer system, and to prevent street flooding, the excess water, carrying fecal bacteria, is diverted into the Seine. To address this, a massive reservoir capable of storing 50,000 cubic meters of water during heavy rainfall was inaugurated in May.

Water quality of rivers in major cities can be impacted by many things, from runoff to dumping of chemicals, sometimes illegally, and boat traffic.

Earlier this week, Paris’ mayor Anne Hidalgo doubled down on her promise to take a dip in the river before the start of the competition. On Tuesday, she confirmed that her swim was postponed until after the snap elections in France, which end on July 7.

OK MAYBE NOT....