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I've noticed recently that Wikipedia has been a lot less pro-Israel recently. Like, they directly call it an Apartheid state and what Israel is doing a genocide without any qualifiers, and if you look at the Talk pages on those articles, any time someone tries to bring it up, they're basically just like "No. We've already settled on this discussion."

An update from Ansarallah (also known as the Houthis) on the situation in Yemen, within the context of escalating US military aggression and airstrikes, including the bombing of Ras Isa Fuel Port in Hodeidah, which killed 74 people and injured 171 (some of whom were immolated by the resulting fires), as well as severely damaging or destroying all the fuel infrastructure at the port, including tanker tracks, storage tanks, and piping, leading to large fires and oil slicks that burnt and destroyed everything.

The National Defense Council, chaired by His Excellency Field Marshal Mahdi Al-Mashat, President of the Supreme Political Council and Chairman of the National Defense Council, addresses the political and military situation, developments in the US aggression against our country, and options for responding and confronting the aggression.

Twitter source, retweeted by official Yemeni Armed Forces officials such as Brigadier General Yahya Sare'e

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Are the Saudis about to get bombed again? Saudi Arabian Formula 1 Grand Prix starts in less than two hours.

Send in the clown: Bill Maher turns pro-Trump

Maher, the comic who once fancied himself a fearless political truth-teller, is now wobbling under the weight of his own ego. His recent televised monologue — an extended love letter to his dinner with Trump — was less a political reflection than a highlight reel of self-flattery and unearned gravitas.

Maher bragged that he had dinner with Trump — “a dinner that was set up by my friend Kid Rock.” Yes, when your access to the leader of the free world is coordinated by a rap-rock-country novelty act — a man who has assaulted a strip-club DJ, waved Confederate flags and hurled homophobic slurs at his own fans — you might want to reevaluate your choices. But Maher treated it like an RSVP to the Met Gala.

“I’m not the leader of anything,” Maher proclaimed, “except maybe a contingent of centrist-minded people who think there’s got to be a better way of running this country than hating each other every minute.”

Amazing timing, just as Trump is becoming less popular than ever, including his entire first term.

AP: Thousands gather in London to support trans rights following UK ruling over definition of woman

Including this wonderful bit of cognitive dissonance:

Trans groups are worried that Wednesday’s landmark decision would undermine their rights, even though the U.K.'s highest court said transgender people remain protected from discrimination. The head of Equality and Human Rights Commission said the ruling will mean transgender women will be excluded from women’s toilets, hospital wards and sports teams.

Of course, the BBC has the real news: Westminster statues vandalised at trans protest

Are there any places that provide English-language news on Burkina Faso? I keep seeing stuff on tiktok and ngl some of it is unsourced and possibly bogus

A sitting US Congressman personally firing on the Russian military.

There has to be some law against this (not that it will be applied). MAGAs have been crying “Logan Act” because of van Hollen’s visit with Abrego Garcia, meanwhile a Republican elected official is personally committing acts of war against a sovereign nation.

Milei is accused of possessing material with child sexual abuse and networks question whether he is a pedophile

https://revistaforum.com.br/global/2025/4/19/milei-acusado-de-possuir-material-com-abuso-sexual-infantil-redes-questionam-se-ele-pedofilo-177724.html

In some good news, it appears that the Easter temporary ceasefire in the Russia - Ukraine war is largely holding on both sides, at least for now, 10 hours into the 30 hour ceasefire, according to accounts of activities from Russian and Ukrainian sources. So despite reports that Ukraine did not accept Russia's unilateral ceasefire, the activity on the battlefield says otherwise. There has been a large reduction in frontline activity, a bit of fighting still went on, but on the whole the temporary ceasefire is holding. AMK Mapping, someone who has been following the conflict for years and produces reliable reporting and maps, and also translates Ukrainian and Russian sources into English, has noted a drastic decrease in reported frontline activity compared to the usual.

AMK Mapping twitter report on frontline activity over the past 10 hours

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Insane

Exclusive: Israel still eyeing a limited attack on Iran's nuclear facilities By Erin Banco Reuters NEW YORK, April 19 (Reuters) - Israel has not ruled out an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in the coming months despite President Donald Trump telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. was for now unwilling to support such a move, according to an Israeli official and two other people familiar with the matter. Israeli officials have vowed to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and Netanyahu has insisted that any negotiation with Iran must lead to the complete dismantling of its nuclear program. .S. and Iranian negotiators are set for a second round of preliminary nuclear talks in Rome on Saturday. Over the past months, Israel has proposed to the Trump administration a series of options to attack Iran’s facilities, including some with late spring and summer timelines, the sources said. The plans include a mix of airstrikes and commando operations that vary in severity and could set back Tehran's ability to weaponize its nuclear program by just months or a year or more, the sources said. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Trump told Netanyahu in a White House meeting earlier this month that Washington wanted to prioritize diplomatic talks with Tehran and that he was unwilling to support a strike on the country’s nuclear facilities in the short term. But Israeli officials now believe that their military could instead launch a limited strike on Iran that would require less U.S. support. Such an attack would be significantly smaller than those Israel initially proposed. It is unclear if or when Israel would move forward with such a strike, especially with talks on a nuclear deal getting started. Such a move would likely alienate Trump and could risk broader U.S. support for Israel. Parts of the plans were previously presented last year to the Biden administration, two former senior Biden administration officials told Reuters. Almost all required significant U.S. support via direct military intervention or intelligence sharing. Israel has also requested that Washington help Israel defend itself should Iran retaliate. In response to a request for comment, the U.S. National Security Council referred Reuters to comments Trump made on Thursday, when he told reporters he has not waved Israel off an attack but that he was not "in a rush" to support military action against Tehran. “I think that Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death,” Trump said. “That's my first option. If there's a second option, I think it would be very bad for Iran, and I think Iran is wanting to talk.” The Israeli prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A senior Israeli official told Reuters that no decision has been made yet on an Iranian strike. A senior Iranian security official said Tehran was aware of Israeli planning and that an attack would provoke "a harsh and unwavering response from Iran." "We have intelligence from reliable sources that Israel is planning a major attack on Iran's nuclear sites. This stems from dissatisfaction with ongoing diplomatic efforts regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and also from Netanyahu’s need for conflict as a means of political survival," the official told Reuters. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION PUSHBACK Netanyahu received pushback from the Biden administration when he presented an earlier version of the plan. The former senior Biden officials said Netanyahu wanted the U.S. to take the lead on airstrikes but the Biden White House told Israel it did not believe a strike was prudent unless Tehran moved to accelerate its enrichment of nuclear material or expel inspectors from the country. The Biden officials also questioned the extent to which Israel’s military could effectively carry out such an attack. Former officials and experts have long said that Israel would need significant U.S. military support – and weapons – to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities and stockpiles, some of which are in underground facilities. While the more limited military strike Israel is considering would require less direct assistance - particularly in the form of U.S. bombers dropping bunker-busting munitions that can reach deeply buried facilities - Israel would still need a promise from Washington that it would help Israel defend itself if attacked by Tehran in the aftermath, the sources said. Any attack would carry risks. Military and nuclear experts say that even with massive firepower, a strike would probably only temporarily set back a program the West says aims to eventually produce a nuclear bomb, although Iran denies it. Israeli officials have told Washington in recent weeks that they do not believe U.S. talks with Iran should move forward to the deal-making stage without a guarantee that Tehran will not have the ability to create a nuclear weapon. "This can be done by agreement, but only if this agreement is Libyan style: They go in, blow up the installations, dismantle all of the equipment, under American supervision," Netanyahu said following his talks with Trump. "The second possibility is ... that they (Iran) drag out the talks and then there is the military option." From Israel's perspective, this may be a good moment for a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Iran allies Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been hammered by Israel since the Gaza war began, while the Houthi movement in Yemen has been targeted by U.S. airstrikes. Israel also severely damaged Iran's air defense systems in an exchange of fire in October 2024. A top Israeli official, speaking with reporters earlier this month, recognized there was some urgency if the goal was to launch a strike before Iran rebuilds its air defenses. But the senior official refused to state any timeline for possible Israeli action and said discussing this would be "pointless".

Reporting by Erin Banco; Additional reporting by Parisa Hafesi in Dubai and the Jerusalem newsroom; Editing by Don Durfee and Daniel Wallis

I hope trump succeeds in his quest to get Powell fired from the Fed. Insert more chaos into the dollar

While the world is distracted by media noise… China is quietly rallying Asia to shift global power. In just a few days:

• 45 economic agreements signed with Vietnam

• A 5-year strategic pact sealed with Malaysia

• Key diplomatic meetings in Thailand

• Military and strategic cooperation boosted with Indonesia

• Telegram

Republican Governor Candidate Proposes Female Undocumented Immigrants Can Stay If They Marry “Incels” Government mandated girlfriends, jfc

Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded a 5-day tour of Southeast Asia to strengthen ties between nations. Last year, the countries of the ASEAN regional bloc were his main destinations, with a total of 586.5 billion dollars.

• Telesur English