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Star of David

Israel closes roads near Gaza following capture of Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader

gaza palestine al-quds
© Photo credit: AP Photo/Adel HanaMembers of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, march during a rally in Gaza, 4 October, 2018.
As a "precautionary step" against possible retaliation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Israeli troops closed off several main highways along the besieged Gaza Strip on 2 August, hours after the arrest of a senior leader.

Late on Monday, occupation troops arrested PIJ official Bassam al-Saadi during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp, north of the occupied West Bank.

During the raid, the Israeli soldiers also killed 17-year-old Derar Riyad al-Kafrini.

Handcuffs

J6 defendant receives harshest sentence yet after son testifies against him at trial

january 6
© Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Getty Images
A federal judge on Monday handed down the heaviest sentence yet to a defendant who was at the Capital riot — seven years to a Texas man who never entered the building.

A Washington, D.C., jury convicted Guy Reffitt, 49, of five felonies in March, including carrying a gun on U.S. Capitol grounds and threatening his children against reporting him to law enforcement. Reffitt was also convicted of two counts of civil disorder, and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding.

U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich declined a Department of Justice request to sentence Reffitt as a domestic terrorist, stating it would create an "unwarranted sentencing disparity," according to Politico. Treating Reffitt's crimes as terrorism would have substantially increased Reffitt's potential sentence; prosecutors had asked for a 15-year term.

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Info

Jack Posobiec burns Jon Stewart after uninformed 'meltdown' over Senate Veterans bill UPDATE: They're now working together to get the bill passed

jack posobiec jon stewart
When the Senate GOP declined to pass the PACT Act this week, comedian and pundit Jon Stewart blasted for what he termed voting against veterans. But as Human Events Daily's Jack Posobiec pointed out, the senators weren't voting against veterans, they were voting against a random $400 billion that had been snuck into the bill.

Posobiec took a look at the bill, which was passed in June, but then required to be put up for a revote after the House made a change to the legislation. The change in the bill up for a vote before the Senate, according to the Congressional Budget Office, was to the tune of $400 billion in completely unrelated spending.


Comment: UPDATE from the Post Millennial:
After Jack Posobiec called out comedian Jon Stewart for lying about a Senate bill meant to provide funding for veterans suffering the ill effects of burn pits, Posobiec and Stewart had a confrontation in Washington, DC.

While it began contentiously, the two men eventually came to terms. "Jon Stewart and I have decided to come to an agreement, have we not, Jon?" Posobiec asked.

"Yes sir," said Stewart, chagrined.

"I lost my temper a little bit, I felt like I was being trolled, and I realized the important thing is just got to get this done for these guys, and get them over the finish line to get them the health care they need," Stewart said.

"We're at 98 percent, let's get it over the 2 percent," Posobiec said.

The bill that is being stalled in the Senate over egregious extra spending pushed into the bill by Democrats is meant to give resources to veterans who suffered exposure to toxic chemicals in burn pits. "A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment," the bill states.

This practice was undertaken in Iraq, Southwest Asia, Afghanistan, and other locations across Asia and the Middle East.

Most of the Senate understands the importance of passing this act, and of getting veterans the health care they need. However, it has been held up in Congressional red-tape, essentially.

It was originally passed in June, but then was required to be put up for a revote after the House made a change to the legislation. The change in the bill up for a vote before the Senate, according to the Congressional Budget Office, was to the tune of $400 billion in completely unrelated spending.

Posobiec looked into these changes, and brought the receipts to Stewart on Twitter. This after Stewart freaked out at the GOP, saying that the GOP senators didn't care about vets.

...

When Posobiec spoke to Stewart in DC, Stewart had initially screamed in his face as well.

"These people have suffered for 15 years," the comedian told the Navy veteran, pointing in his face, and when Posobiec asked why Stewart was calling him names, Stewart said "because you're a fucking troll."

Posobiec pointed out that he was "for the bill," which he also noted was true for Republicans in Congress. The only reason the bill was voted down last week is because Democrats had added a substantial amount of discretionary spending that had nothing to do with veterans or their health issues.

Stewart, instead of engaging in any kind of dialogue, continued screaming. However, a short time after the initial, unhinged encounter, the two men were seen in a much more congenial circumstance.



Info

Amber Heard's sister told boss actress did sever Johnny Depp's finger: unsealed court docs

Jennifer Howell depp heard trial
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesJennifer Howell, a former boss of Whitney Henriquez, Heard’s sister, said during a deposition that she heard in real time Henriquez get a message about the finger injury.
Amber Heard's sister told her employer that the "Aquaman" actress had "done it now" and cut off Johnny Depp's finger with a bottle, according to a deposition that came to light following the unsealing of more than 6,000 page of court documents over the weekend.

The newly unveiled legal filings detail efforts by Depp and Heard's attorneys to get certain claims and exhibits presented or excluded from their bombshell defamation trial in Fairfax, Virginia.

The "Pirates of the Caribbean" star testified in April that during a couple's quarrel in Australia in 2015, Heard hurled a bottle of vodka at him, which shattered and severed the tip of his finger.

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NPC

'Unlikeable female protagonist' warning label slapped on film about white woman after test screenings

unlikeable female protagonist
Many viewers of the new Hulu movie Not Okay, which launched last Friday, were surprised by a message that appeared before the opening scene: "CONTENT WARNING: This film contains flashing lights, themes of trauma, and an unlikable female protagonist. Viewer discretion advised," (emphasis added).


Eye 1

Israel bans use of cash for 'large purchases' over 15,000 NIS ($4,360)

Shekel
© NATI SHOHAT/FLASH90Illustration photo of the new 200 New Israeli Shekel (NIS) bill. February 7, 2016
A new law is set to take effect in Israel starting August 1 that will ban payments of large sums of money in cash and bank checks. The goal of the reform, according to a statement issued by Israel's Tax Authority, is to fight organized crime, money laundering and tax non-compliance.


Comment: The people making the most money off of that kind of criminality are often in cahoots with the establishment and the banks themselves, and the small fry criminals will find an alternative currency for transactions, so that justification doesn't hold water.


For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org

Under the new law, any payment to a business above 6,000 NIS ($1,700) must be made using alternative methods, such as a digital transfer or a debit card. Trading between private citizens who are not listed as business owners will be limited to 15,000 NIS ($4,360) in cash. This is another step in Israel's fight against the use of cash. Previously, cash up to the amount of 11,000 NIS ($3,200) could be used in business deals.

Sherlock

Mysterious deaths of 'well-connected' asylum-seeking Saudi sisters in Sydney

apartment
When they arrived in Sydney, Asra and Amaal made contact with a refugee agency. Pictured: Their Canterbury apartment block, where they were found dead in June
Two Saudi Arabian sisters made a report to building security about a suspicious man lurking outside their unit - just months before they were found dead in their bedrooms.

Asra Abdullah Alsehli, 24, and Amaal Abdullah Alsehli, 23, were found dead inside their apartment in Canterbury, in Sydney's city's south-west on June 7, five years after they fled their homeland with $5,000 in savings.

Police believe the women, who were found in separate beds and bedrooms, may have been dead for a month before officers discovered their decomposing bodies while conducting a welfare check.

There was no sign of forced entry, no clear signs of injury, and the cause of death remains undetermined although is being treated as suspicious.

Comment: The above story appears to share a number of parallels with the three princesses of Dubai who, following their attempts to flee their father, they were summarily kidnapped and imprisoned back in the country: Similar scandals dog Saudi Arabia: Saudi Princess Basmah & daughter freed after three years in jail without charge or trial


Star of David

Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever admits it melted under Israel's threats

Ben/Jerrys
© John Lamparski/ZUMAPRESSBen & Jerry's and Unilever accused of anti-Semitism and 'Jew hatred'
Ben & Jerry's and its parent company Unilever reportedly failed to reach a negotiated settlement in their dispute arising from the ice cream maker's decision to halt sales of its frozen treats in Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"The talks did not work out because Ben & Jerry's does not want to 'cave' on its social mission and stance on Palestinian human rights," Reuters reported Friday, citing an unnamed "source with direct knowledge."

That means the case will be heading back to federal court in New York after a two-week hiatus to give mediation a chance.

Earlier this month Ben & Jerry's sued Unilever for selling the ice cream maker's brand and rights in Israel to its local licensee Avi Zinger and his company AQP.

Unilever has admitted in court filings that the move was an effort to relieve pressure from pro-Israel forces. Under the deal, the Israeli licensee - now the would-be owner of the brand in Israel - would continue to sell Ben & Jerry's products in settlements despite the objections of the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's company.

The agreement was hailed by Israel lobby groups and Yair Lapid, Israel's prime minister, as a victory over the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights. But Ben & Jerry's asserts that Unilever had no right to make the deal.

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Bulb

Take that, Putin! Finland stores may close in winter to conserve power

finland supermarket
© AFP / Olivier MorinA man shops in a supermarket in Vaasa, Finland, March 28, 2020
Grocery stores in Finland could have to take turns closing for hours at a time to reduce their energy usage this winter, the country's grid operator told news outlet YLE on Sunday. With fuel shortages expected, Finnish households will also be told to lower their consumption.

According to the grid operator, Finland's roughly 2,800 food stores will need to come to arrangements with each other over who will close and who will stay open if power is rationed in a particular area. This kind of agreement is especially important in rural areas to ensure that all the outlets in one town or village don't end up shutting at the same time, YLE noted.

Finland has not escaped the Europe-wide rise in fuel and energy costs that followed the EU's sanctioning of Russia after Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine in February. In May it applied along with Sweden to join the NATO alliance and has already had its gas supply from Russia cut off after refusing to pay for the commodity in rubles, as Russia had asked all "unfriendly" countries to do.

Finland only uses gas to generate around 3.6% of its electricity, with most power generated in the Nordic nation coming from hydro and nuclear, per figures from 2020. Until recently, however, Finland imported just under a fifth of its power from Russia and Estonia. Finland voluntarily dropped the amount of Russian power it was importing in April, and was cut off entirely by its Russian supplier, RAO Nordic, which said it had stopped receiving payment from Finland.

Comment: THIS will get him, surely. But if it doesn't, just remember: you did your part. One of these days, we will finally defeat bad man Putin. No matter what it takes, we will try it. Even if that means cold, hunger, and ultimate self-destruction. Because beating Putin is the only thing that matters. It matters more than we do. Remember.


Bullseye

Ann Coulter, top US conservative: 'Ukraine not America's business'

Ann Coulter
© AFP/Paul J. RichardsAnn Coulter
Conservative US author Ann Coulter has argued that the US and UK "have [their] own problems" and shouldn't care about Ukraine, which she pointed out was historically under Russian influence. With British broadcaster Piers Morgan vehemently disagreeing, Coulter blamed the expansion of the NATO alliance for the current conflict.

Speaking to Morgan on Thursday, Coulter declared "on the NATO thing, I'm with Noam Chomsky, Pat Buchannan, George Kennan, once the Soviet Union fell there's no point to NATO, and we keep encroaching, encroaching, encroaching," referring to the alliance's expansion into Eastern Europe since the fall of the USSR, something its leaders assured Russia it would not do.

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