…-"While the president has advocated a strong defense of America’s regional allies, Carlson has spent 100% of his time trying to turn the MAGA base against Israel and in favor of Islamist regimes."
-"His podcast has become a remorseless roll call of Holocaust deniers, antisemites, Islamic extremists and World War II revisionists."
-"While attacking Trump, Carlson eagerly softball-interviews people who love both Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin."
-"While accusing everyone else of being obsessed with Israel, Carlson has obsessed about nothing else. While saying 'We’re not allowed to talk about Jews,' he has talked about nothing but Jews."
-"This culminated in Carlson calling Trump’s actions 'evil.' ... From being Trump cheerleaders, Carlson & co. are trying to do everything they can to destroy the president."
[SDUT] A new generation of AI surveillance towers from General Dynamics has been deployed along San Diego’s stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border.
General Dynamics uses Phoenix-based PureTech Systems’ AI software, trained on years of footage from earlier systems. Using a combination of cameras and radar, the towers can distinguish a human from a cow, and a passerby from a potential case of smuggling.
"It was trained to say, OK, that person has a long rifle on their back, or that person has a large backpack that might be carrying narcotics," said Mike Wagner, vice president of biometrics, border and transportation security at General Dynamics Information Technology.
GDIT is a major business unit of General Dynamics, the $95 billion company, that provides IT services, cloud computing, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence technology to the U.S. government.
The towers come in two sizes — 120 and 180 feet — and can monitor 6 to 10 miles of terrain depending on the landscape. A new modular design makes them easier and more cost-efficient to upgrade as technology evolves, Wagner said.
Running on 5G and Starlink satellite communication, the towers can monitor the border around the clock with minimal human oversight.
It’s a sharp contrast to the current reality, where a single agent sits before nearly a dozen monitors, watching hundreds of miles of desert.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not disclosed the exact locations or total number of towers, but the Electronic Frontier Foundation — a nonprofit defending digital privacy, free speech and innovation — has counted at least 585 autonomous surveillance towers along the U.S.-Mexico border.
GDIT said they have deployed 203 of their own towers to date along both the northern and southern borders, surveilling 566 miles.
In San Diego, roughly two dozen autonomous towers line the boundary from the Pacific coast to Rancho del Campo.
"The technology automates surveillance, allowing agents to focus on enforcement, interdiction and humanitarian missions," CBP wrote in an email to the Union-Tribune, adding that the towers enhance "operational efficiency" and "mission effectiveness."
But a long paper trail of government reports tells a more complicated story that raises doubts about whether the high tech is worth the tax dollars.
"I have noticed a cycle," said Dave Maass, director of investigations at Electronic Frontier Foundation. Maass has covered border surveillance technology for 25 years. "The Department of Homeland Security or CBP will announce a program, give it a cool title like America’s Shield Initiative or the Secure Border Initiative and then a few years later, an inspector general report, a House Oversight report, or a Government Accountability Office report will come out saying the whole thing was a waste of money."
He cited a few recent government reports.
Internal Border Patrol memos revealed that more than 30% of camera towers were inoperable in 2024. A separate DHS-funded study found "strong evidence" that the Integrated Fixed Towers program was actually having a negative impact on apprehension levels at the border. One official said border crossers would often walk around the towers.
Maass says "It’s a theatrical system," and the towers are just for show.
Instead, Border Patrol agents have more effective strategies, he said, such as driving ATVs back and forth across 5-mile segments of desert, dragging tires behind them to carve a smooth dirt road into the sand.
"If you see vehicle tracks, footprints, bicycles, horse shoes, whatever, you know somebody has crossed," said Maass. "Despite all of the high tech at the border, one of the tried and true techniques of border patrol is this ancient system."
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/04/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1783 views]
Top|| File under: Narcos
[IsraelTimes] Bath’s Bharat Pankhania apologizes ‘unreservedly’ for engaging with posts about torching of four Hatzola vehicles in London; police treating attack as antisemitic hate crime
The mayor of Bath, in southwestern England, resigned from his post Monday after drawing criticism for amplifying the idea that the London arson of ambulances owned by a Jewish emergency service was a “false flag” attack.
“I have been made aware that I have reposted or replied to some posts which have never aligned with my values and beliefs, and which are abhorrent,” Bharat Pankhania said in a statement issued last week, prior to his resignation from the honorary role.
“I am incredibly apologetic that I have not lived up to the standards I set myself. I have, of course, deleted them, and I wish to apologize unreservedly,” he said.
Days after the March 23 torching of four Hatzola ambulances in London’s Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green, Pankhania shared comments and posts on X that suggested the fires were set by members of the Jewish community and an instance of insurance fraud, multiple British outlets reported. Law enforcement has deemed the fires an antisemitic attack.
A “false flag” operation is staged by the apparent victim to garner sympathy or attribute blame to another party. Accusations that antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents are false flags have surged as such incidents have grown more commonplace.
An Anti-Defamation League survey found in January 2025 that one in four Americans believed recent attacks on Jews were false flags; an analysis by the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate released last week suggested that the rate of false-flag allegations around antisemitic incidents had risen since.
After an investigation, the local branch of Pankhania’s political party, the Liberal Democrats, suspended him last week. On Monday, the group said he had resigned from both the mayoralty and the political group.
“Pankhania again apologized for his interactions on X, and reiterated that he has spent his life working with all communities, whilst acknowledging the hurt he had caused. In resigning, [he] is taking clear personal responsibility for his actions,” the group said.
“As a group and as a party, we reject discrimination wherever it occurs and reiterate our stance against antisemitism,” it added.
Police in London arrested two men in connection with the ambulance arson. The men have since been released on bail, and their identities have not been made public.
A group previously unknown to investigators, calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, has claimed responsibility for the attack, in addition to a number of other attacks throughout Europe.
#2
“I have been made aware that I have reposted or replied to some posts which have never aligned with my values and beliefs, and which are abhorrent,”
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/04/2026 11:22 Comments ||
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[TurkiyeToday] Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler stated that Ankara is ready to play a "balancing and constructive role" in the post-war Middle East.
So noble of them. Will the result look like an expansion of their little neo-Ottoman sultanate?
He called for an immediate ceasefire in the Iran conflict and warned that Türkiye "will not leave unanswered any threat directed at its territory or citizens," including Iranian missiles that have repeatedly entered Turkish airspace since the war began.
Great idea. Let’s you and the Mullahs fight.
"Our country can play a balancing and constructive role in the post-war period. The initiatives undertaken so far clearly demonstrate this," Guler told Italy's Il Messaggero newspaper.
Which initiatives might those be?
"Taking into account our geopolitical position, we aim to create a security belt and a context of stability around our country, contributing to international peace," he noted.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] According to official statistics, 365 American service members were injured during the operation against Iran. The Pentagon announced this on April 3.
As of April 3, 63 people in the US Navy received injuries of varying severity, 36 people in the Air Force, 19 people in the Marine Corps, and 247 service members in the Ground Forces.
The death toll among American troops during the operation in Iran remains unchanged and, according to official data, stands at 13 people.
Earlier, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Iranian forces launched missile strikes on US military installations near the Bahraini capital Manama, killing dozens of people.
On April 2, Iran also targeted US steel facilities in the Middle East. On March 25, the IRGC reported that the Iranian Navy had launched several cruise missiles at the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Tehran declared that it would continue military operations until the US and Israel surrendered.
Iran is not currently considering negotiations with the United States and has once again denied holding them. Tehran has called the US-proposed plan for conflict resolution harsh, illogical, and unrealistic. The document consists of 15 points, including sanctions relief and civilian nuclear cooperation, while also envisioning full control over Tehran's facilities and the abandonment of its military nuclear program.
Posted by: badanov ||
04/04/2026 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1771 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
A possibly true story is that the Soviet press ran a story that old people in the US were reduced to eating cat food. To which the Russian public reaction was "Holy Sheet! The Americans have so much food that they have special food for cats!"
Posted by: Matt ||
04/04/2026 10:15 Comments ||
Top||
[IsraelTimes] Reservists to be called up for nine weeks, instead of six weeks in 2026, as military faces mounting manpower shortage
The Israel Defense Forces is extending the time reservists will serve this year, according to an updated military chart, amid the war in Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... and against Hezbollah in Leb ...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade.... As part of the changes, reservists will now be called up for nine weeks of operational activity this year. Previously, reservists were expected to be called up for six weeks of operational activity during 2026.
The IDF said that an updated version of its "combat chart" was distributed to all units, following a fresh assessment.
The changes apply to reservists who are scheduled to be called up to replace those who have been serving amid the war in Iran or before it. However,
it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... those currently on reserve duty will also have their time extended, the military said.
The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits — mostly combat troops — due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the IDF’s recent conflicts.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has several times urged the government to again extend mandatory military service for men to 36 months, after it was shortened to 30 months in August 2024.
In January 2027, the first cohort enlisted under this shorter service will be relieved, further exacerbating manpower issues, unless the existing law is changed.
Zamir warned again on Wednesday that the "heavy price" of the change will be paid by reservists and their families. "They are the ones who will be called to service time after time."
Zamir said he requested that three laws "that affect the readiness of the IDF and its reserve system be advanced."
Those include a law extending the mandatory service time; a law changing how reservists are called up and for how long, given that currently the IDF relies on emergency call-up orders with various limitations; and "a relevant conscription law that will be adapted to the needs of the IDF at the present time."
The current government has been working to pass a bill that would enshrine blanket exemptions from military conscription for Haredi yeshiva students, despite the IDF warning repeatedly that it needs more troops after two years of war.
The bill has come under fire from IDF brass, the attorney general, and a wide array of other critics, who have objected to it on the grounds that it is full of loopholes, preserves inequality in the mandatory draft, and will not increase Haredi enlistment amid what the military says is a manpower shortage.
A senior military officer told politicians in December that the bill falls short of solving the IDF’s manpower shortage.
Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.
"In summary, in light of the expansion of missions in the coming years and the motivation of the IDF to realize them all with excellence, the IDF is required to grow," Zamir wrote. He added, "As we have expressed more than once, we need a large and strong army."
"פצוע ראשון בפנים, דלתות סגורות, רשאי": צוותי מסוקי חיל-האוויר, צוותי הרפואה ולוחמי יחידה 669, נמצאים בכוננות תמידית ומוזנקים בזמן אמת במטרה לחלץ פצועים במהירות ולהציל חיים. תיעוד מיוחד ממאמץ פינוי פצועים מוסק מלבנון: pic.twitter.com/e9JgclXd34
"First wounded in the face, doors closed, authorized": Air Force helicopter crews, medical teams, and Unit 669 combatants are in constant readiness and scrambled in real time to rescue the wounded quickly and save lives.
Special documentation from the effort to evacuate a wounded soldier from Lebanon:
[IsraelTimes] From Jerusalem to Dubai, wartime fears halt pilgrimages and force churches to cancel or livestream services during one of Christianity’s holiest days.
Since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran on February 28, Israeli authorities have, for security reasons, barred access to the Old City for anyone other than residents or shop owners.
The restrictions extend to all holy sites, including the Western Wall, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which have been closed since March 6. Gatherings nationwide remain limited to 100 people indoors and 50 people outdoors, provided a shelter can be reached in time.
Earlier this month, an intercepted Iranian missile sprayed shrapnel on the rooftop of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, just steps from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the most important sites in Christianity. Missile debris also hit a road leading to the Western Wall.
[IsraelTimes] Israel a ‘team player’ on Iran, ‘will stop when I stop,’ Trump tells Time; report also says president, facing leaks, told Feb. 27 meeting he’d called off op, then phoned key officials to prepare first strikes.
For some reason, I find myself sceptical of any public pronouncement from 'US intelligence sources'. It is not a question of true or false. The question is "Why are they telling us this?"
tl;dr: If you have 100 launchers and only 1 missile, you really only have one launcher.
#6
@4 At some point Iraq did have WMD's, they used chemical weapons against the Kurds and Iranians. The are reports that they used them during the Shia uprising after Desert Storm. I don't think it was ever positively determined where they went. The two stories I heard was that they were shipped to Syria before we invaded Iraq in 2002. The other story was that they are still in buried in Iraq and the records of where they were lost or destroyed.
Not just American intelligence, chris. And despite all the fussing afterward, the Iraqi government did have a vastly excessive supply of insecticides that work pretty much the same way on dogs and people as they do on insects, an awful lot of yellowcake uranium ready to be refined into the radioactive form, all sorts of dual use equipment with which to do so, the plans for the Osiraq nuclear reactor that Israel had bombed into rubble in 1981, and whatever Iraq had trucked to Bashir al Assad in Syria via the Bekaa Valley in addition to the nation’s gold on top of whatever Iraq had burnt for weeks in the ditches around Baghdad to get rid of it before the second Iraq War. After all, Saddam Hussein had used chemical weapons against the Kurds as well as whatever he’d used against the Shiites in the south, or wherever their swamps were.
The endless claims afterward that there was nothing there, I am convinced, was a joint project of the mainstream media and the Deep State to keep President George W. Bush from moving on to the next stage of the War on Terror — putting a stop to Iran’s nuclear bomb program and support for the jihadi movement in the Middle East and the West.
But in addition to news reports at the time, a number of Rantburgers either witnessed themselves or shared reports from colleagues and relations of vast storage areas full of leaking barrels of insecticides and so forth. And while I know myself to be trusting and naive, the rest of you are not — and many of you have resources to check such claims that are unavailable to professional journalists. So if you all accepted the claims at the time, I must, too.
#8
But in addition to news reports at the time, a number of Rantburgers either witnessed themselves or shared reports from colleagues and relations of vast storage areas full of leaking barrels of insecticides and so forth.
They were massive and very remote Alternaria solani and Alternaria tomatophila (tomato blight) research facilities I tell you !
#10
Worth noting that even with the absence of CBN weapons, the US has the right to invade based on Iraq's abrogation of the ceasefire based alone on his forces firing on our aircraft maintaining a no fly zone they ( the Iraqis) had agreed to
#11
^ That, and Saddam was an asshole. The argle-bargle of reasons post-Iraq-asskicking that we were wrong is similar to what we'll see after we leave a broken Iran tyranny. CBS/NBC/ABC/CNN/MS-NOW are banking on it
Expect a UN reso against Trump
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/04/2026 19:01 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Officials walk streets to project image of control amid Israeli assassinations; families meet in parks for music and barbecues, using public spaces as refuge, show of loyalty to regime
After more than a month of being stalked by targeted liquidations, Iran’s leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control, with bigwigs walking openly in the streets among human shields small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
In recent days, Iran’s president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran. On Tuesday, state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of the public and shaking hands with supporters who had gathered in public areas.
According to insiders and analysts, the appearances are part of a calculated effort by Iran’s theocratic leadership to project resilience and authority — not only over the vital Strait of Hormuz but also over the population — despite a sustained US-Israeli campaign aimed at "obliterating" the regime.
One insider close to the hardline establishment said such public outings are intended to show that the Islamic Theocratic Republic is "unshaken by strikes and that it remains in control and vigilant" as the conflict grinds on.
The US-Israeli war on the Iranian regime began on February 28 with waves of strikes and the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ...the very aged actual dictator of Iran, successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini...> and several senior military commanders. Strikes have since continued to target brass hats.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since taking over on March 8 from his father. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, meanwhile, was removed from Israel’s hit list amid mediation efforts last month, including by Pakistain, to bring Tehran and Washington together for talks to end the war.
Talks aimed at ending the war have since appeared to have petered out, and against that backdrop, recent public appearances by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araghchi appear designed to project defiance, if not a convincing display of public support.
A senior Iranian source said officials’ public presence demonstrates that "the establishment is not intimidated by Israel’s assassination of top Iranian figures."
Asked whether Iran’s foreign minister or president were on any sort of kill list, IDF spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said on Friday he would not "speak about specific personnel."
MUSIC AND BARBECUES IN TEHRAN DESPITE US THREATS
Despite widespread destruction, Tehran appears emboldened by surviving weeks of intense US-Israeli attacks, firing on Israel and Gulf countries hosting US troops, and demonstrating its ability to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump ...The man who was so stupid he beat fourteen professional politicians, a former tech CEO, and a brain surgeon for the Republican nomination in 2016, then beat The Smartest Woman in the World in the general election. Then he beat Kamala while dodging bullets... vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, without offering a timeline for ending hostilities. Tehran responded by warning the United States and Israel that "more crushing, broader and more destructive" attacks were in store.
In a leafy Tehran park on Thursday, Iranians gathered for picnics on the final day of the Persian new year holidays, shrugging off Trump’s threats to bomb Iran "back to the Stone Ages" as powerful blasts shook the capital.
Still, hundreds of families sat out under mild, cloudy skies, picnicking amid sweeping views of the snow-capped Alborz mountains — a postcard scene at odds with a city under regular attack.
Thursday marked the 13th and final day of the Persian New Year festivities, known as Sizdah‑bedar or Nature Day. Tradition calls for spending the day outdoors to ward off bad luck.
"We must keep this ritual alive under all circumstances, even in the current situation and despite the distress we feel," Roya Abhari, 39, told AFP.
"I saw President Trump’s message, and wondered: will Iran really go back to the Stone Age in two or three weeks?"
She had come to the park alone to "be around people, recharge and feel better."
Nearby, a man fanned skewers sizzling on a barbecue grill while a couple played badminton and retirees sang cheerfully on a park bench.
"[War] doesn’t disrupt anything at all for us. We are living a normal life... We are not afraid of war," said metalworker Hakim Rahimi, 43.
But the joyful scenes were far from the reality of the war, with blasts rocking neighborhoods and families mourning the dead elsewhere in the city.
That morning, strikes heavily damaged a century-old medical centre in the capital.
Tehran’s many parks, usually green lungs in a metropolis often choked by pollution, have become refuges since the fighting began.
Joggers, cyclists and casual strollers still flock to them daily, despite the risk of bombardment.
But Iran’s threat on Thursday of "crushing" retaliation if US strikes intensify renewed fears of escalation in a conflict rippling across the region and global markets.
"I hope God gives our soldiers strength every day," said housewife Parastou Safiani.
Encouraged by holy manal rulers, supporters of the Islamic Theocratic Republic take to the streets each night, filling public squares to show loyalty even amid the strikes.
Analysts say the establishment is also seeking to raise the "political and reputational" cost of the strikes at a time when civilian casualties are deeply disturbing for Iranians.
Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank, said the decision to send officials into gatherings reflects a layered strategy, including an effort to sustain the morale of core supporters at a moment of acute pressure.
"The system relies heavily on this base; if its supporters withdraw from public space, its ability to project control and authority weakens significantly," Memarian said.
Speaking to state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
, some in the crowds voice unwavering loyalty to Iran’s leadership; others oppose the bombing of their country regardless of politics; and some have a stake in the system, including babus government employees, students and others whose livelihoods are tied to it.
Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the establishment is using such loyal crowds as human shields to raise the cost of any liquidation attempts.
"By being in the middle of large crowds, they have protections that would make Israeli-American attacks against them very bloody and generate sympathy worldwide," he said.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Iran is capable of unilaterally controlling the Strait of Hormuz for several years and could keep it closed for years, disrupting US military logistics. This was reported on April 3 by Press TV.
Capable is an interesting concept, under the circumstances. Iran might want to spend a little more time analyzing their assumptions.
"Iran has the ability to maintain this state of affairs for many years," the official told the television channel, referring to the de facto closure of the strategic waterway to US and allied vessels.
Iran has shown increased interest in this sea route, as a significant portion of equipment for American military bases and garrisons in the region has traditionally been delivered by sea. Moreover, approximately 20% of global crude oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Most of the equipment used to supply American military bases and garrisons in the region is delivered by sea, and Iran must not allow this. For this reason, Iran will no longer tolerate such logistics," the security service official added.
The official emphasized that, from Iran's point of view, control over shipping in the strait at an earlier stage would have significantly reduced the enemy's logistical capabilities.
Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response to attacks by the US and Israel that began on February 28. The closure of the major shipping channel has had a devastating impact on the global economy. On April 1, the price of natural gas on the London Stock Exchange reached $663 per 1,000 cubic meters. The price increased by 1.5 times during March.
#2
Complete destruction of all equipment on the island that can load oil on ships will close it for use in shipping oil for many, many years. Sinking several dozen hulks off the island to deter access by tankers will add to the difficulty. Intersperse mines mixed in with the hulks will increase the time necessary to restore the Kharg Island functionality. Two can play that game. Most of the income of the IRI is dependent on Kharg Island being able to load tankers with oil. IRI cannot function without any oil income. This does not require occupation by ground troops.
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.
[SDUT] A new generation of AI surveillance towers from General Dynamics has been deployed along San Diego’s stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border.
...home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade....
