#2
O' blunt-nosed beast of thundered skies,
Ungainly king where danger lies,
You do not glide with swanlike grace,
You snarl, and shake the battlefield’s face.
Your voice is not a song but wrath,
A rolling storm along the path,
That dreadful growl, that iron drum,
And every foe knows what has come.
Scarred guardian of the dust and flame,
Rugged, stubborn, proud of frame,
You are no beauty polished bright,
But an airborne angel armed for fight.
#5
Got to see one just overhead at the men’s final of the US Open tennis back in the day- my neighbors in the stand didn’t seem to be nearly as enthusiastic about its capabilities as me.
Judicial Watch announced today that it forced the release of 27 heavily redacted pages from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit that show that would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks
…more fully Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. Registered Republican but donated via ActBlue to a Progressive voter turnout group, and highly active in the hateful corners of social media. Worked as a kitchen aide in a nursing home.
was reportedly involved in an altercation with a group of people and making “hateful comments” directed at President Trump at the Butler, PA, rally site before the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt.
Judicial Watch filed the July 2025 lawsuit after the FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 FOIA request (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-02216)). Judicial Watch asked for:
All records, including but not limited to, investigative reports, interview summaries (Forms 1023), letterhead memoranda, photos, audio/visual recordings, database inquiries, interagency communications, and any other records, whether contained in the Central Records System or cross-referenced files, related to Thomas Matthew Crooks, born September 20, 2003 in Butler Township, PA and died on July 13, 2024, who attempted the assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024.
All records of communication in any form, including but not limited to emails, text messages, encrypted app communications and voice recordings, between FBI officials and/or FBI sources, contractors, and assets on the one hand, and Thomas Matthew Crooks on the other hand.
A July 17 FD-302 investigative report states that a woman who attended the Trump rally was interviewed by the FBI and reported that Crooks “had an altercation with a group of people in the area [where the woman was standing] prior to the shooting.” The witness continued that “she observed Crooks climbing the building a short time after the interaction.”
The report shows that another rally attendee interviewed by agents said he also heard the altercation involving Crooks at the rally. The report states, “[Redacted] reported just before Donald Trump came on the stage, CROOKS was making ‘hateful’ comments toward Trump. [Redacted] wasn’t sure if Crooks was filming the event or speaking with someone on his cell phone.”
A July 17 FD-302 investigative report shows that a woman contacted the National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) to report that she had attended the Trump rally in Butler and that she had seen a “suspicious individual” at the rally who was acting “very nervous” in the parking lot and she took a picture of the license plate of his Hyundai vehicle.
The records include a July 17 FD-302 investigative report in which a deputy with the Butler Sheriff’s Office, whose name is redacted, tells investigators she was assigned the Trump rally two days before the event and was provided a map of the rally grounds one day prior to the event. The report states:
No other formal briefings were provided. [Redacted] asked [redacted] what the role of posts 3, 4, 5, and 6 were? she was told that those posts were to monitor and make sure the fence line remained secure. [Redacted] was not involved with any of the planning for the rally. [Redacted] was not briefed on the use of deadly force prior to the event.
[Redacted] was not familiar with the Butler Farm Show grounds prior to the rally. [Redacted] arrived at approximately 10:40 am and [redacted] personally drove her to her post. No other ops plans were given to [redacted] position was between the two fence lines with the rally site behind her. [Redacted] could see the front and left sides of the AGR building. [Redacted] had no field of view to the right or back sides of the structure. [Redacted] was unaware of any law enforcement presence at/in the AGR building. [Redacted] didn’t anticipate having any people gather at the AGR building. [Redacted] was surprised that there ended up being approximately 100 in that area. [Redacted] confirmed that the group of people were on the opposite side of the fence line from her position. [Redacted] reported that she and a PSP [Pennsylvania State Police] trooper had to address a few problems “a few hours” before the arrival of Trump.
[Redacted] did state that it was at times difficult to discern what agency was talking on the radio.
At some point prior to the arrival of Trump, [redacted] recalled hearing radio traffic from Sgt. [redacted] on the sheriff’s channel requesting officers to be on the lookout (BOLO) for a man on a bike with long hair, grey shirt, backpack and possibly wearing a hat. [Redacted] asked why they were looking for this male and was told that he was seen with a range finder. [Redacted] had received a photo of the subject via text from Sgt. [redacted] at 5:53 pm. [Redacted] never received information from the crowd regarding the BOLO subject. [Redacted] heard someone on the radio saying, “long gun”. [Redacted] repeated “long gun” on the sheriff’s channel. [Redacted] was in the process of going towards Post 5 to share the photo with PSP when the shots were fired. [Redacted] estimated 5-6 rounds fired. [Redacted] believed the shots came from in front of her at the AGR building. [Redacted] immediately exited her vehicle, withdrew her firearm and was prepared to engage any threat that she saw. [Redacted] was still between the fence lines, so she was unable to move towards the AGR building. [Redacted] did not engage any further enforcement actions.
[Redacted] confirmed that the BCSO [Butler County Sheriff’s Office] is not outfitted with body worn cameras (BWC). [Redacted] did not take any photos or videos from personal devices.
No other media outlets or law enforcement agencies have reached out to [redacted] other than the PSP and FBI. This is the first statement she has provided regarding the shooting at the Trump rally.
A July 17 FD-302 investigative report shows the FBI interviewed a member of the Beaver County Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Services Unit who was working at the rally. The interview subject reports “that his team did not have communication with the United States Secret Service (USSS) and does not know if USSS was present at the 0900 [9 a.m.] operations order brief.” Further, “his team did not have communications with PSP [Pennsylvania State Police] or [Secret Service] during the event.”
A heavily redacted July 17 FD-302 report shows that its analysts determined that Crooks registered for the Trump rally in Butler on July 6, 2024:
[Crooks], DOB September 20, 2003, registered for the July 13, 2024, Trump Campaign Rally on July 6, 2024, at 5:31 p.m. with the phone number [redacted] from the ZIP code 15102. He completed the two step authentication, validating that he was a real person, with the email address (bcook@mailfence.com). CROOKS requested one ticket for the event. The Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with his registration was [redacted] and conducted by a Virtual Private Network (VPN) associated with a New York area IP address.
According to the [redacted] CROOKS did not register for any other Trump Campaign Rallies and did not provide any campaign financing.
“It should not have taken two years and a federal lawsuit to find out that the Butler shooter was involved in an altercation with Trump supporters and made hateful comments towards Trump at the Butler rally minutes before he nearly killed Trump. These new FBI documents are disturbing and astonishing, detailing more conduct by the shooter that should have gotten the attention of Secret Service,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
The conclusion follows one of the most extensive investigations ever conducted into an attack on a U.S. political figure, described by bureau officials.
There were 485 personnel assigned to the case, conducting more than 1,000 interviews and reviewing over 2,000 public tips, according to the FBI. Agents executed more than 10 search warrants, issued 100 subpoenas, and examined 35 online accounts linked to Crooks, including social media, financial records, and multiple foreign-based email accounts.
Investigators seized 13 electronic devices belonging to Crooks and his family and manually reviewed over 500,000 digital files. Even the foreign email accounts, which were registered in Germany and Belgium, were fully accessed through international cooperation. FBI officials told Fox News Digital that none of the accounts contained evidence of coordination with foreign entities.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Mikhail Kolovangin
[REGNUM] On May 7, the UK held its biggest single voting day since the 2024 general elections.
Three separate electoral processes took place on the same day: elections to 136 local councils in England, where just over 5,000 seats were up for grabs; elections to the Scottish Parliament (129 seats); elections to the Welsh Legislative Assembly (96 seats).
It was both a political test for the government of Keir Starmer, which came to power just under two years ago, and a test of the readiness of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform Party to transform itself from a protest phenomenon into a real political machine.
The result exceeded the most pessimistic forecasts for the current government. Labour suffered a crushing defeat in all three arenas, and the Reform Party took first place in terms of seats in England's local governments.p
And isn’t it glorious!
The Reform Party won 1,453 seats, an increase of 1,451 compared to the previous cycle. Labour ended the election with 1,068 seats, a loss of 1,496. The Liberal Democrats won 844 seats (+155), the Conservatives 801 seats (-563), the Greens 585 seats (+411), and independents 212 seats (+34).
As of Saturday, the numbers posted by the Telegraph were: REFORM +1,276, LAB -1,051, LIB DEM +142, CON -427, GREEN +306, so more precincts must have finalized their vote counts.
For the Reform Party, this isn't just a victory, but a rapid ascent to the status of the largest force at the local level, from practically nothing: just a few years ago, it had only a handful of council seats. The Reform Party performed best in regions with high levels of support for Brexit: in constituencies where more than 55% of residents voted for Brexit, it won 47% of the vote.
At the national level, the picture looks like this: the Reform Party – 27%, the Conservatives – 20%, Labour – 15%, the Greens – 14%, and the Liberal Democrats – 14%. Labour is third. Just a year ago, it was the ruling party with an overwhelming parliamentary majority.
Labour's losses were particularly painful in traditionally "red" areas of northern England—in towns like Hartlepool, which they had held for decades. Labour lost control of 38 councils. Starmer himself admitted: "The results are harsh, very harsh, and there's no sugarcoating it."
What odds in those areas the Pakistani grooming gangs have been protected by the authorities while running roughshod over the daughters of the Labour-voting native population? Sir Kier was recently revealed to have been very active in that protection racket when he was director of public prosecutions and then promoted to head of the crown prosecution service. Or contrariwise, those areas where Moslems are now voting as a block for Moslem or Hamas-supporting Independent candidates?
Several Labour MPs told the press they were prepared to demand the prime minister resign.
The Conservatives also suffered significant losses, down 563 seats. However, compared to Labour's collapse, their decline appears almost moderate. The Liberal Democrats and Greens are improving, but their gains remain overshadowed by the day's main story.
The Scottish Parliament elections took place simultaneously with the local elections. The final standings in the 129-seat Holyrood district showed that the Scottish National Party (SNP), led by John Swinney, retained its status as the largest faction, but fell short of an absolute majority (65 seats). The SNP will still form the government, but in a more vulnerable position. The Conservatives plummeted from 31 to 12 seats—the party's worst result in Scottish elections.
The main sensation was the Reform Party's debut at Holyrood: 17 seats from scratch, on par with Labour. Before this election, the party hadn't had a single member of parliament in the Scottish Parliament. Farage now has parliamentary representation at every level of government in Britain.
The most dramatic story unfolded in Wales. Labour held a majority in the Senedd for 27 years, since its founding in 1999, but on May 7, that era ended. First Minister of Wales, Labour MP Eluned Morgan, lost the election in her own constituency and announced her resignation as Welsh Labour leader. Now the ruling party will have to seek a coalition with the Welsh National Party.
The Reform Party, a party formed from the Brexit Party, has been steadily expanding its presence in the political arena. In 2024, Farage personally won a seat in the House of Commons, which also saw the party gain eight seats in Parliament. Since then, the party has consistently ranked among the leaders in national polls, often topping the support list. Now, as of the 2026 results, it has the largest faction on local councils in England and the largest representation in Scotland and Wales.
The party's political program is built on several fundamental positions: strict restrictions on migration, cutting taxes and government spending, rejecting the "green" climate agenda, and criticizing transatlantic institutions.
Also the EU. As the former Brexit party, they particularly object to Sir Keir’s promise to more closely align with EU regulations and positions.
Essentially, this is a British version of a platform similar to Donald Trump's rhetoric in the US. It is this position that allows Farage to rally both disillusioned working-class voters in the north of England and the traditionally Conservative electorate of the southeast.
Indeed. And so President Trump believes, too.
Farage himself declared after the election that a "historic shift" had occurred, as the Reform Party had proven its ability to win everywhere—in regions that had previously been Conservative and Labour strongholds. He is already raising the possibility of a snap election in 2027, claiming that the government's low approval ratings make them inevitable.
The soon the better, for all involved…
For the Prime Minister, the election results are a political disaster. His approval ratings have fallen to one of the lowest levels ever recorded for a British leader. The Labour Party is trailing the Reform Party in national polls, raising serious questions about Starmer's ability to lead it to victory in the next general election, scheduled for 2029.
Immediately after the results were announced, more than 35 Labour MPs called for Starmer to resign. MP Catherine West
…an old Corbynite, so the very worst of Labour in every way…
announced that she was prepared to stand as a candidate for party leadership if the cabinet failed to take matters into its own hands. To formally initiate the leadership change process, the support of 20% of the parliamentary group—81 votes—is required. Starmer himself rejected the resignation and stated that he had no intention of plunging the country into chaos.
Apparently he may not have a choice.
The recent elections confirmed a trend that had been developing for several years. Neither of the two traditional parties is currently capable of establishing confident dominance at the national level.
Taken together, the three results—the triumph of the Reform Party in England, the victory of the SNP in Scotland, and the victory of the Welsh National Party—create a fundamentally new political landscape. In each of the three regions, a party with its own agenda, distinct from the traditional political forces, emerged victorious.
For the Reform Party, the next frontier is the general election, where victories in local councils and regional parliaments must be converted into seats in the House of Commons.
Britain's single-member constituency system has historically harshly punished third-party parties with broad but dispersed support. This is precisely the central political question of the next three years: will Farage be able to overcome the electoral system's structural barrier and transform the electoral wave into a parliamentary majority.
For the sake of Great Britain’s future, let us pray.
‘Muslim Independents’ projected to win more than 200 council wards. For future historians these elections may be a punctuation mark in our island story, after which the politics of mainland England more closely resemble the sectarian voting of Northern Ireland. https://t.co/jJLkWW13QS
That must be an incredible display of the ultimate failure of Labour's strategy of importing voters. They vote as a block for themselves.
I've always thought the Stupid Party in California should have supported the Mexican PRI party to become an agent in their elections. It would have divided the socialist block.
#4
Seeing Starmer in trouble warms the cockles of my cold, black heart.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/11/2026 12:12 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Sounds like Starmer was counting on the Pak vote but in doing so he lost the support of his traditional base, the working class native Britains. What did he think would happen?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/11/2026 12:33 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Starmer not only lost the vote of the Muslims a good chunk of them voted for the Muslim Independents party. Shows his political acumen is garbage.
I don't know British politics well enough but it does seem clear that Labor and others could form a gov and shut out Reform. So who can Reform build a coalition government with?
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics. Rozhin most helpfully included videos with Russian to English translation available.
Thanks Borya!
[ColonelCassad] The era of Valentinian I and his dynasty is an intermediate and, in its own way, a turning point in the history of the late Roman Empire. The still powerful state was torn apart by numerous problems, challenges, and crises, among which the Alemannic Wars stood out. In the mid-4th century, the area between the Rhine and Danube rivers, the confrontation with the Germans became the central problem for the western part of the Roman Empire.
In 368, a major battle took place in the mountainous area of modern Württemberg, eclipsing the glorious Argentorate of Julian in its scale. The decisive clash on Mount Solicinium was supposed to decide the outcome of the long-standing conflict. This issue tells the story of perhaps the last documented major victory of the Romans before the onset of the global military and political crisis of the 4th century. What was the situation in the empire in the mid-4th century? In the 4th century, Valentinian I tried to maintain a balance between pagans and Christians, about uprisings, rebellions and the gradual exhaustion of the empire, which, however, was still capable of fighting back.
Timestamps:
00:00 - 01:59 Election of Valentinian
01:59 - 03:11 Division of power
03:11 - 04:27 Alemanni break the peace
04:27 - 05:12 Rebellion of Procopius
05:12 - 07:39 "Salvation" of Gaul
07:39 - 08:24 Roman counterattacks
08:24 - 12:27 Economic situation
12:27 - 13:17 Command of Jovinus
13:17 - 14:14 Great Conspiracy in Britain
14:14 - 15:23 Proclamation of Gratian
15:23 - 18:28 Invasion of 368
18:28 - 20:43 Germanic campaign of 368
20:43 - 27:03 Battle of Solicinium
27:03 - 28:08 Triumph of Valentinian
28:08 - 31:05 Wars of 371-375
31:05 - 34:16 Migrations of the 360s-370s
34:16 - 35:51 The 3 Augustus system
35:51 - 36:20 A new threat
36:20 - 38:04 Thanks
As usual, very clearly presented.The previous series about the Battle of Harzhorn is also good.
[IsraelNationalNews] Sometimes small but characteristic details can help you understand the level of civilizational development of those you are dealing with much better than mountains of analytical articles from high-brow experts and commentators.
Therefore, we will now take a short, but very specific excursion into history.
The PA recently accused Israel of intimidating Palestinian Arabs by introducing rats into the Palestinian territories. And not just rats but "developed" giant rats that Israeli hi-tech had engineered to "particularly attack children and the sick."
Israeli rats are improved in every way over non-Jewish rats — a metaphor for Arab life choices, because there is no reason they could not also improve their rats. The method is widely known, but requires not relying on Allah doing the work for them.
This isn't the first such incident. Below (special for the progressive, enlightened, and liberal minds of the West) I've compiled a sinister list of four-legged, flying, crawling, and demonic creatures collaborating with the Zionists in their genocide of Palestinian Arabs and Muslims in general.
Rats. Let's start with the same rats. In 2008 the Zionists released ’genetically modified’ or ’chemically resistant’ super-rats into the Old City of Jerusalem to drive out Arab residents. They were not afraid of cats or poison and possessed an incredible ability to distinguish Arab homes from those of Jews, of whom there are also many in the Old City.
Wild Boars. In 2012, wild boars in Judea and Samaria, released by the Zionists, mercilessly destroyed Palestinian Arab crops and terrorized villagers. Like rats, they were trained to differentiate between Arabs and Jews, with whom they likely secretly, and sometimes openly, collaborated.
Donkeys, sheep and cows. Zionists "hang a medallion with an eavesdropping and recording device on it, and sometimes cameras, to monitor every detail" on these farm animals who live in Arab villages.
Hyenas. Israel sets hyenas on Palestinian Arabs. The Zionists are released in the Jordan Valley encouraging to attack the Palestinian Arab communities. In 2016, residents of Hebron cornered one of these unfortunate animals and filmed it as it was stoned to death.
Squirrels. These charming creatures, so popular with adults and children in US city parks, were also recruited by the Mossad in Iran. Fourteen squirrels equipped with listening devices were arrested there in 2007. After Iranian interrogation, the squirrels admitted to working for the Zionist regime. (You would too)
Dolphins. In 2015 and 2022, Palestinian Arab fishermen and "resistance fighters" were pursued at sea by dolphin saboteurs and spy dolphins, equipped with cameras & with special devices for firing harpoons at combat swimmers. ("The spy and sabotage equipment" was just scientific sensors.)
Birds. These feathered accomplices of the Zionists are trained to spy throughout the Middle East. Feathered Mossad agents were found literally everywhere: apparently, they were recruited when they were on seasonal flights. In 2011, Saudi Arabian intelligence officers captured a griffon vulture wearing a GPS tracker and a "Tel Aviv University" ring; Lebanese and Sudanese caught eagle saboteurs and vulture spies; Erdogan's security forces intercepted Israeli falcon and European bee-eater with "rings on their feet", etc.
Sharks. ’Jaws’ was hired by Mossad (or they themselves sympathize with the genocidal ideology of the Zionists) to destroy tourism in Egypt. There are theories that the sharks were controlled remotely, although it is possible that these fish were Jewish and acted on their own initiative out of hatred for the faithful Muslims.
Lizards and chameleons. The Zionists have trained these reptiles to infiltrate Iran's strategically important nuclear or military facilities, and worse, to change their skin color to remain undetected.
Snakes. In Gaza the Zionists apparently use "strange-looking reptiles and insects", never seen before the war - huge and dangerous snakes and scorpions. However, Muslims have snakes that protect them. They crawl into the homes of ’settlers’ and frighten the dirty Zionists. Norman Finkelstein is delighted by this phenomenon.
If you think the Zionists use only lflora and fauna for their dirty, genocidal purposes, you're mistaken. For many years now (and the late Ali Khamenei has repeatedly confirmed this), they've been using demons, jinn, "demon soldiers", "genie devils" and other occult forces to no lesser extent. It was these demons that ensured the Israeli army's victories in the wars in Iran and Lebanon.
This is the (incomplete) chronology of the Zionists' collaboration with animals, who voluntarily or under threat, collaborated with the criminal regime, as well as demonic creatures.
The West voluntarily and enthusiastically opened its doors to the people who make these accusations, and, moreover, made them its masters. Centuries of agonizing struggle for enlightenment-rationalism, humanism, and freedom-have been thrown into the trash heap like obsolete junk. Welcome to a world of dark prejudices and primitive superstitions. Welcome to archaism! From now on, the past is your future.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
