Law, Power, and Justice

News Notes: Worst Russian Propaganda Podcasts, Cuba, Israel, Slovikia, Speculations on Trump Trial

Slovikia: (BBC)

• (Note: Even though NPR evidently identified the victim of the Slovidian assassination attempt, Robert Fiso, as a left-wing politician, he is not.  He has provoked division in the society, is rabidly anti-immigrant, supports Putin and opposes aid to Ukraine.)
• One of the political parties has suspended campaigning.

Cuba: (BBC)

• The Cuban sugar industry is almost defunck.  The island now is importing sugar, something unthinkable in the past.
• The BBC reporter blames this on the American boycott, mismanagement, and investment in the tourist trade as a key economic activity which has resulted in neglect of the sugar industry.
• Problems in the sugar industry are affecting the rum trade.
• There are private entrepreneurs in Cuba. The BBC reporter raises the notion that only people who are very much involved with the Communist Party are able to start private businesses as compex as his.
• The reporter calls sugar a “ghost industry.”

Israel (BBC)

• Many have fled from Rafah as it seems likely that Israel will launch a ground invasion.
• Areas of Gaza thought to be controlled by Israel (north Gaza) are now become a problem as Hamas moves back in and sets up activity.
• Jebala is a focus.  Israel has gone back into Jabala Refugee Camp.  They say they found a machine to make rockets and that there have been attacks from the area. 
• If this continues is will result in a long running insurgency. 
• In the West Bank, there was an air strike in Jenin Refugee Camp.  Local militant groups not affiliated with the larger groups.  One of them Palestinian Jihad. 
• The bodies of three hostages have been recovered.  The longer this goes on, the less hostages are likely to be alive.  Louk is thought to have been dead since October. 
• (Note: They took her body back to Gaza, paraded it – half naked and distorted – so that men could celebrate over it and spit on it.)
• The American pier has gotten some aid into Gaza but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed.
• Aid going into Rafah has almost stopped.

Israel (CNN) 4 PM

• Gantz (part of War Cabinet) threatens to quit if Netanyahu does not lay out Gaza plan by June 8.
• David Sanger, reporter, NYT, Netanyahu has publicly refused to give a plan.  “The relationship with the prime minister couldn’t be worse.”  (with Biden).  Biden administration would be happy if Gantz quit.
• Protests in Tel Aviv, Israel demanding hostage release.
• Israel is going toward a permanent military occupation of Gaza, which would be a disaster. 

Navalny: (BBC)

• A former aid of Navalny, living in Lituania, was attacked with a knife. 
• (Note: New Yorker article about murders in London virtually ignored by the police because they are connected with Russia.)

Trump Trial Speculations

• Ari Melber has an ax to grind with Michael Cohen who refused to appear on his show anymore after Melber whored around and interviewed Avantti in prison.
• So, Melber is presenting an image of Cohen as a liar and maintaining that the defense made significant damage to Cohen’s testimony and credibility.
• Melber is playing his interview with Avanatti and bragging about being the first one to get a prison interview. 
• Avanatti is crazy.  Who tries to extort Nike and who steals money from somebody like Stormy Daniels?  Jesus.
• Well, they are having a conversation about the representatives showing up at the trial and sitting there glaring at the prosecution witnesses.  They are undermining the rule of law. 

Podcasts: One of the Worst Russian Propaganda Podcasts

• If you want to hear a pathetic discussion of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, try The Duran Report.  Featuring a British disbarred attorney and a military expert who describes himself as being trained in realpolitik, which means politics without morals. 
• They are arrogant, completely misguided, spouting arguments that reveal they are willing to admit in no part the real nature of Russia under Putin. 
• To give an example of the Kremlin propaganda, these two are seriously arguing that the Russians are really nice people and if the US would just talk to them everything would be alright.  The problem, according to them, is that the US administration refuses to talk to Russia.