Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Malek Dudakov
[REGNUM] Another major scandal has erupted in the United States around the issue of freedom of speech.
Over the past few years, the American conservative community has complained endlessly, and not without reason, about discrimination by Democrats. Strict censorship was imposed on social media, and many popular right-wing commentators were stripped of their accounts. Donald Trump himself was banned from mainstream social media following the dramatic storming of the Capitol in the winter of 2021.
But now the pendulum has swung in the other direction.
Since Trump's second inauguration, Democrats have begun portraying the victim. They accuse the White House of colluding with the bosses of major US media corporations, who have suddenly launched a conservative counterrevolution in the information sphere. Hollywood was the first to sense the shift in political tides.
Immediately after Trump's victory, giants like Disney began to gradually scale back their push for racial and gender-based agendas in their products. Financial factors also played a role—falling movie ticket sales and audience fatigue with transgender people* and feminism. Furthermore, the White House began threatening lawsuits against corporations that continued to actively promote liberal ideology.
Antitrust legislation proved to be a serious lever of pressure.
Now, in order to get the go-ahead from the US government for mergers and acquisitions or the sale of major media assets, you must first demonstrate your willingness to avoid conflict with Republicans.
This is precisely the awkward situation that the Redstone family, major Democratic Party donors who long controlled CBS News, finds themselves in. They are currently divesting themselves of their holdings as part of the massive merger of Paramount and Skydance. During the deal's negotiation, the White House set certain conditions that the owners were forced to accept.
In particular, they canceled comedian Stephen Colbert's show, which had been running for the past ten years. Colbert was a longtime critic of Trump, a position he held apart even among other liberal late-night comedy hosts in the US.
Meanwhile, ratings for such shows have recently left much to be desired. Over the past ten to fifteen years, they've dropped by an average of 70-80%. Many Americans have grown tired of the dull humor and constant vilification of only one side—Trump and the Republicans.
Moreover, there is already an abundance of comedy content on the internet market; you no longer need to spend your evenings watching specific shows on cable channels.
Colbert is one of the most popular comedians, but his audience has dwindled to around two to three million viewers. That's a drop in the bucket in America, where 340 million people live. Colbert's show was losing $20 million annually, despite his salary being a whopping $40 million a year.
Ultimately, they simply decided to get rid of him. Colbert himself calls what happened a horrific attack on free speech and the establishment of a dictatorship.
He's echoed by another comedian, Jimmy Kimmel, who was also fired. He managed to make a particularly unfortunate joke after the murder of Trump supporter Charlie Kirk. Disney, the owner of ABC, where Kimmel's show airs, decided to immediately pull the show from its schedule to avoid any harm.
When the scandal erupted, Kimmel was finally brought back on air, but only after a "counseling session" with him. This is a clear message to many other comedians: don't even try to directly confront Trump now; it could end very badly for you.
Democrats accuse Trump of tightening the screws and destroying independent news outlets—in all areas at once.
Recently, the White House, for example, designated the Antifa movement a terrorist organization. It's a single, broad brand for a wide range of activist groups, including some with a very radical bent. They will be threatened with lawsuits and the cutting off of funding, for example, from the foundations of George and Alex Soros, for whom Trump also wants to create serious legal problems.
Furthermore, the sale of TikTok's American operations is currently in its final stages. Its board of directors could include billionaires close to Trump, through whom he could "correctly" adjust its content publishing algorithms.
In the past, Democrats had a near-total monopoly on the social media market. Now the situation is rapidly changing.
Twitter/X is already actively promoting right-wing content. Facebook/Meta** is trying to avoid further escalating its relationship with Trump. And TikTok, with an audience of nearly 200 million in the US and the main social network for young people, could become a superweapon in the hands of Republicans.
Now, Democrats find themselves in a very vulnerable position, similar to what Trump faced five years ago. Back then, it seemed virtually impossible for Republicans to break through the total censorship of the media and social media, and that Trump would have no political future. However, in just one election cycle, everything has changed completely in the US.
It's possible the pendulum will swing back in the other direction. Some Republicans are already sounding the alarm: they believe Trump's team is setting a very dangerous precedent that will later be used against them. And the Democrats, once in power, will be able to tighten the screws even further against right-wing media outlets, especially since they are rapidly gaining popularity.
But the Trump administration clearly isn't thinking that far ahead; its planning horizon is limited to the next election. In the meantime, it can sue everyone from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, hoping to bankrupt them with lawsuits.
After all, the media industry as a whole is currently going through hard times. Major American media outlets are experiencing constant layoffs, audiences and advertising revenues are declining, and employees are being replaced by artificial intelligence.
For example, CNN's audience—once a symbol of liberal American television—has now fallen to its lowest levels in over twenty years. Circulation of traditional newspapers is constantly breaking records.
Many mainstream media outlets missed the social media and new media revolution, and now appear far behind reality. They're struggling to catch up with their increasingly powerful opponents.
Popular podcasters like Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, and Steve Bannon are becoming trendsetters in the US media market. Their audiences number in the tens of millions. They are already more able to influence the American public than traditional television networks or the press.
Moreover, it is easier for them to operate independently of corporate sponsors and political lobbyists in both parties.
This is indeed becoming a very serious challenge for the American establishment, which is used to controlling all major sources of information.
There may be many channels, but they are united into a few large holdings. It's always possible to reach an agreement with social media owners, as well as with the editorial boards of major media outlets. But the current revolution in the media market and the sharp division in the United States are calling the future of this model into question.
Without it, America's political system will face major transformations.
[FoxNews] Policy would force reporters to seek approval before publishing even unclassified information
The Pentagon is changing its rules on press access, marking what legal experts and press advocates call an "unprecedented" restriction on journalists covering the nation’s military headquarters.
George Washington University law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley warned the move may be a "bridge too far" and potentially "devastating" to the Pentagon press corps.
"There is no precedent for what they're doing here," Turley said Monday on "Special Report."
The policy would require credentialed reporters to sign a pledge agreeing not to publish information unless it has been cleared for release. That would include materials that have already been unclassified. Journalists who refuse could lose their access.
"What they're basically saying is if you publish anything that's not in the press release, is not the official statement of the Pentagon, you could be held responsible under this policy," Turley explained.
"That is going to create a stranglehold on the free press. And the cost is too great."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defended the change and said it was designed to curb leaks and protect information at the Pentagon.
"Time and time again, classified information is leaked or peddled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad," said Hegseth at a news conference in June.
Turley called the impact of the order "breathtaking," noting that the Pentagon and the press have traditionally worked together to balance the public’s right to know about matters of national security.
"It is true that access is something that is a privilege," Turley said.
"But the Pentagon has had a long tradition of allowing the media to work with its own representatives and getting the story right."
Turley raised concerns about the policy’s reach, since it places even unclassified information off-limits unless explicitly approved or agreed upon.
"This is really limitless in terms of the level of control that would be exercised by people given access to the Pentagon," he said.
#3
If it is already out there, this has no impact. I am thinking this is some of the pre-operation packets they give the press so when hate starts flying they have talking points on what is being used and how already.
#4
"Time and time again, classified information is leaked or peddled for political purposes to try to make the president look bad," said Hegseth at a news conference in June.
That's exactly what ABC's David Muir did on the ABC evening news show after the bunker buster bombing of Iranian nuke sites. I don't usually watch their bullshit but that night I just happened to catch the first few minutes and realized why I don't usually watch it.
Muir's lead story was from an unauthorized leak from an "anonymous source" that claimed damage to the Iranian nuclear capability was minimal and the facilities were still operational. Hegseth had to call a press conference to debunk the story which he said was from a preliminary report and that later, more thorough assessments showed that the damage was indeed devastating.
But I thought it was pretty clear as I watch Muir that evening that he was gleefully reporting anything, just anything, he could find to make Trump look bad regardless of the facts. Without the slightest effort to verify this sketchy information, Muir made it his lead story as if it was the gospel. It was pretty obvious that he was enjoying it too.
But notice how the Iranians haven't been launching many missiles lately.
The reporters from the main stream media are the ones who have gone a bridge too far. FAFO.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/24/2025 12:09 Comments ||
Top||
#1
I believe Trump said he wanted Bagram Air Base to go back to the folks that built it. Which is the Russians (actually the USSR). I don't think they want it.
#4
Shouldn’t they have executed themselves as dancing is forbidden? N’est pas? I find all this Islamic stuff so confusing.
Alternately, cuz I didn’t actually watch the linked video, maybe the dancing was so awful that it wasn’t recognized as real dancing and the practitioners slipped by via a technicality….
[HODHODYEMENNEWS.NET] Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... 's Supreme Political Council, has rejected a two-state solution to the Israeli occupation of Paleostine, describing the UN-backed plan as a ''betrayal of the Paleostinian cause''.
There, you see? It’s not just Israel that objects.
In a post on X, al-Houthi said the two-state solution would not restore Paleostinian rights nor stop what he described as Israel's continued violations and efforts to expand its occupation in the region.
He called on Saudi Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start... and other Arab and Islamic governments not to allow recognition of the two-state solution to be a cosmetic process or a pretext for normalization with the Israeli enemy entity.
The comments come as both regional and international actors renew discussions on the two-state solution as a potential framework for resolving the long-standing Israeli-Paleostinian conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1792 views]
Top|| File under: Houthis
#1
Since it calls for Israel to continue to exist it is haram (or whatever the political equivalent is).
[IsraelTimes] Berlin calls out threats from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands to boycott the song contest if Israel takes part over the Gaza war
From a few days ago. Chancellor Mertz is changing direction so often and so drastically that I’m getting dizzy.
#1
I met him at the opening of the Reichenbach Synagogue. He's a sincere friend of Israel. He has to make some token concessions to his coalition partner, but that's it.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
09/24/2025 12:36 Comments ||
Top||
A decision, the negative consequences of which will redound to the French republic; But to the Israelis first by Olesya Orlenko
[REGNUM] On September 22, at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced his country's recognition of the Palestinian state. A historic decision and a decisive step forward for some. For others, an ill-considered move of merely symbolic significance. Why does the head of state need this recognition?
President François Mitterrand himself expressed a desire to recognize Palestine. However, France is far from the first European country to do so. In fact, half of Western Europe already considers the State of Palestine a player in international affairs.
For example, Great Britain also recognized it, a day ahead of the French: the corresponding statement was made by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on September 21.
The Palestinian issue is not at all foreign to French society. For many decades, support for an independent Palestine has been and remains a key item on the left's foreign policy agenda. This underpins the editorial policy of left-wing newspapers, such as L'Humanité.
And this is also the most important lever for mobilizing the electorate of “France Insoumise,” whose leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, won almost 22% of the vote in the last presidential elections in 2022.
Moreover, supporters of the "unconquered" form the backbone of the protests taking place across the country, including those that took place most recently on September 10 and 18. The most recent demonstration was very large, attracting, according to organizers, approximately a million people.
The demonstrators openly expressed hostility toward the authorities. They carried posters and chanted slogans calling for the resignation of the president and his appointed prime minister, and even brought a model of a guillotine, which they claimed was intended for the head of state.
According to recent polls, only 17% of French people approve of Macron's performance. These figures make him not only the most unpopular president of the Fifth Republic but also one of the least popular in the EU.
It is highly likely that by recognizing Palestine, the president is trying to gain the approval of part of the protesting population and the French of Arab descent, for whom this issue is sensitive.
He's also likely hoping that his move will be interpreted domestically as a demonstration of France's independence from the United States. After all, that's precisely how the American press interprets Macron's move.
And his hopes are not unfounded: there was a heated public debate over Palestinian flags, which, according to many politicians and officials, should have been displayed on city administration buildings on September 22. Despite recommendations from the Ministry of the Interior against this, hundreds of French administrative units ended up displaying such flags near city halls.
At the same time, official recognition of Palestine is, as many media outlets report, a symbolic step that will not have any serious geopolitical consequences in the Middle East, at least initially. The state Macron recognizes lacks clearly defined borders, has no capital, and has very few representations abroad.
The term of Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ended in 2009. The extent of his influence over Palestinian internal affairs is highly questionable. It's difficult to imagine how the country plans to hold new elections under the current circumstances.
However, the consequences of this move could impact France itself, which is home to approximately 500,000 people of Jewish descent. The annual increase in anti-Semitic violence has long been a concern for French society and law enforcement.
In response to concerns that the president's foreign policy actions were fueling ethnic hatred within the country, Macron promised a "general mobilization" against ethnic hatred.
However, the head of state tends to attribute numerous manifestations of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiment to the interference of certain external forces. This raises doubts about the extent to which Macron understands the seriousness and depth of the problem.
The question of a real settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and what contribution France can make to this also remains open.
Initially, the French side put forward a number of conditions for recognizing a Palestinian state, but was unable to obtain Palestinian guarantees of compliance. As a result, some of these conditions, such as the release of French hostages, became conditions for establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
But the biggest criticism leveled at Macron is that he's trying to solve the problem without a key player—Israel. Government circles say France is confused about who its friends are and who its enemies are.
Abbas's unconditional faith in his promises irritates the Israeli side. Macron attempted to gain Israel's favor by refusing to call its actions against the Palestinians genocide. But this is unlikely to ensure Israel's agreement to regard France as a country with the right to make geopolitical decisions in its region.
By announcing France's recognition of the State of Palestine, Macron received a few minutes of glory and congratulations from representatives of many countries. It's a shame, however, that this decision is unlikely to result in a diplomatic victory. And even less will it bring real improvements to the people suffering from the war.
Meanwhile, in France, the Palestinian issue is spiraling into hysteria, and journalists and experts say the situation demands government intervention. Citizens are expecting a wave of violence and even terrorist attacks. They are worried that the actions of the president and government, which have so far failed to address the problem, will have the desired effect this time.
Paleostinians can thank Leonid Brezhnev and the Soviet Union
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Russia recognized the State of Palestine even before the deaths of 65,000 of its residents. This was announced by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin on September 22.
"We did this without waiting for the current human tragedy and monstrous catastrophe that has claimed the lives of at least 65,000 Palestinians," the diplomat noted at the international conference on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict at UN headquarters in New York.
Vershinin recalled that Russia, among 149 states, has long recognized the Palestinians' legitimate rights to return and self-determination, and their just aspiration for their own state.
On September 22, France became one of three G7 countries to recognize Palestinian statehood. French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced this at the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. He added that the embassy would open after a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all hostages.
The day before, the governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood. Portugal also announced a similar decision. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, promised to reciprocate the recognition of Palestine by a number of Western countries.
"Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco announced their recognition of the Palestinian state during today's UN General Assembly summit meeting dedicated to the two-state solution," the statement said.
The leaders of these countries declared their commitment to an approach to resolving the conflict based on political recognition of both states.
In addition, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Andorran Foreign Minister Imma Thor Faus stated that they are ready to recognize a Palestinian state on the condition that Hamas demilitarizes and releases Israeli hostages.
"Some UN members are seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, as if to fuel the conflict [in the Gaza Strip]. This would be too great a reward for the Hamas terrorists for their atrocities," the American leader noted.
Trump stressed that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict must be ended as soon as possible, and that the hostages held by Hamas must be released.
[BREITBART] Swedish professional protester Greta "Pippi" Thunberg ...an autistic sixteen year old Swedish expert on climate change, though I guess she's older now... has been unceremoniously dumped from a leadership board role in a Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... -bound, anti-Israel ''aid'' flotilla as infighting and tensions roil the group.
The Jerusalem Post reports Thunberg, who joined a previous run at the Israeli naval blockade around Gaza in June, appeared on the Global Sumud Flotilla's website as part of its leadership committee.
At least, that was until last Sunday.
Now that posting has been removed.
Before setting sail earlier this month, Thunberg said: ''This project is part of a global uprising of people standing up— when our governments fail to step up, the people will take their place, and that their atrocities and their complicity in the genocide in Gaza right now.. is not something that we can stand for.''
Il Manifesto, which has a correspondent aboard one of the flotilla vessels, reported on Tuesday Thunberg was seen dragging her suitcase along a Tunis dock to transfer from the Steering Committee flagship Family to another vessel, the Alma.
''We all have a role: mine will not be on the board, but as an organizer and participant,'' Thunberg told the newspaper.
Her face froze like that. A pity.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1869 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
Indonesian President Calls for Recognition and Security of Israel at UN Assembly
President Prabowo of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, addressed the United Nations General Assembly, stating: “We must also recognize, respect and guarantee the safety and… pic.twitter.com/uxE1gThDVY
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Paolo Sergio Pinheiro, head of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said on Tuesday that the March 10 agreement between the Syrian authorities and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) remains stalled.
In a verbal report to the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Pinheiro highlighted that recent clashes raise concerns over renewed violence, particularly as thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees remain in custody.
He added that confrontations between Druze and Bedouin groups in Suwayda in July 2025 led to the displacement of approximately 200,000 civilians and caused hundreds of casualties. Pinheiro noted that the Syrian Minister of Justice established an independent investigation committee, which has already detained individuals involved in the incidents.
Pinheiro stressed that Syria’s future depends on the integration of all regions and diverse communities into a unified, secure state that respects human rights. Achieving this, he said, requires a sufficiently stable political and security environment to address the roots of grievances and violations.
More at the link
Posted by: badanov ||
09/24/2025 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1762 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria/HTS
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.
...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
[BREITBART] Swedish professional protester 
