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Friday, October 17, 2025
Shutdown Stalemate: Americans Struggle as Inflation Fears Grow and Cost of Living Rises
ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.
Peru to Declare State of Emergency after Protests against New President Leave One Dead and Dozens Injured
THE GUARDIAN: Demonstrators clashed with police outside congress building amid public anger at crime crisis days after José Jerí assumed power
Peru is set to declare a state of emergency after at least one person was killed and dozens of police officers were injured in widespread protests against President José Jerí who assumed power just days ago.
Prime minister Ernesto Alvarez said late on Thursday that the government would declare the state of emergency in Lima within hours and is preparing a package of measures to tackle rising insecurity.
The protest on Wednesday night – called by gen Z protesters, transport workers and civil groups – was the latest in a series of demonstrations against corruption and rising crime, which led to the dramatic midnight ouster of former president Dina Boluarte last Thursday. » | Reuters | Friday, October 17, 2025
Peru is set to declare a state of emergency after at least one person was killed and dozens of police officers were injured in widespread protests against President José Jerí who assumed power just days ago.
Prime minister Ernesto Alvarez said late on Thursday that the government would declare the state of emergency in Lima within hours and is preparing a package of measures to tackle rising insecurity.
The protest on Wednesday night – called by gen Z protesters, transport workers and civil groups – was the latest in a series of demonstrations against corruption and rising crime, which led to the dramatic midnight ouster of former president Dina Boluarte last Thursday. » | Reuters | Friday, October 17, 2025
Trump's Comments about Venezuela Are 'Political Theatre,' Not a Direct Call to War: Analysis
Oct 16, 2025 | Venezuela says it will raise a complaint with the United Nations about comments President Donald Trump made regarding US covert operations there.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump confirmed he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. The Venezuelan government says Trump's statement is a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
In recent weeks the US military has carried out strikes against boats Washington says are smuggling drugs in the Caribbean.
Rebecca Hanson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and ‘The Center for Latin American Studies’ at the University of Florida. She says Trump's comments about Venezuela are primarily aimed at a domestic audience in the US.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump confirmed he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. The Venezuelan government says Trump's statement is a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
In recent weeks the US military has carried out strikes against boats Washington says are smuggling drugs in the Caribbean.
Rebecca Hanson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and ‘The Center for Latin American Studies’ at the University of Florida. She says Trump's comments about Venezuela are primarily aimed at a domestic audience in the US.
Meloni: I’d Kill Somebody If I Had to Stop Smoking
THE TELEGRAPH: Giorgia Meloni has said that she would probably kill someone if she had to give up cigarettes.
The Italian prime minister was challenged over her smoking habit at the Gaza summit in Egypt by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, who has vowed to make Turkey smoke-free.
“You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking,” he told Ms Meloni, to the laughter of Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron.
“It’s impossible,” the French president said during the meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
“I know, I know,” Ms Meloni said. “I don’t want to kill somebody.”
The 48-year-old recently revealed in a book that she had begun smoking again after quitting 13 years ago.
She also said that her tobacco habit had helped her bond with some foreign leaders, including Kais Saied, the president of Tunisia. » | James Crisp, Europe Editor | Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Giorgia Meloni should have suggested to Erdogan that he give up sugary foods. He's a diabetic. People should learn to give smokers a break. The war on smoking has gone on long enough now. — © Mark Alexander
The Italian prime minister was challenged over her smoking habit at the Gaza summit in Egypt by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Turkish president, who has vowed to make Turkey smoke-free.
“You look great. But I have to make you stop smoking,” he told Ms Meloni, to the laughter of Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron.
“It’s impossible,” the French president said during the meeting on the sidelines of the summit.
“I know, I know,” Ms Meloni said. “I don’t want to kill somebody.”
The 48-year-old recently revealed in a book that she had begun smoking again after quitting 13 years ago.
She also said that her tobacco habit had helped her bond with some foreign leaders, including Kais Saied, the president of Tunisia. » | James Crisp, Europe Editor | Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Giorgia Meloni should have suggested to Erdogan that he give up sugary foods. He's a diabetic. People should learn to give smokers a break. The war on smoking has gone on long enough now. — © Mark Alexander
Thursday, October 16, 2025
Experts Urge UK to Ban Cigarette Filters to Protect Health and Environment
THE GUARDIAN: Researchers say filters do not reduce toxicant exposure and are major contributor to plastic waste crisis
Cigarette filters do not work and are a major source of plastic pollution that should be banned by the UK government, experts have said.
In an editorial in Addiction, the journal for the Society for the Study of Addiction, researchers argue that ministers should use a forthcoming tobacco and vapes bill to “ban filters in the interests of public health and the environment”.
“Cigarette filters were designed to give the false impression of safety,” said Dr Katherine East, associate professor in public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, who is lead author on the editorial.
“In reality, they do not reduce toxicant exposure and may even increase harm, because they lead people to inhale deeper and for longer and can embed harmful fibres and microplastics in the lungs. They are also a major contributor to the global plastic waste crisis.” » | Damien Gayle, Environment correspondent | Thursday, October 16, 2025
Why don’t these do-gooding killjoys just get bloody lost and let people get their kicks from life where they can? God only knows that these days there are all too few kicks for them to find. — © Mark Alexander
Cigarette filters do not work and are a major source of plastic pollution that should be banned by the UK government, experts have said.
In an editorial in Addiction, the journal for the Society for the Study of Addiction, researchers argue that ministers should use a forthcoming tobacco and vapes bill to “ban filters in the interests of public health and the environment”.
“Cigarette filters were designed to give the false impression of safety,” said Dr Katherine East, associate professor in public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, who is lead author on the editorial.
“In reality, they do not reduce toxicant exposure and may even increase harm, because they lead people to inhale deeper and for longer and can embed harmful fibres and microplastics in the lungs. They are also a major contributor to the global plastic waste crisis.” » | Damien Gayle, Environment correspondent | Thursday, October 16, 2025
Why don’t these do-gooding killjoys just get bloody lost and let people get their kicks from life where they can? God only knows that these days there are all too few kicks for them to find. — © Mark Alexander
Frank & Nancy Sinatra : Somethin' Stupid | 2008 Remastered
Farage Urged to Explain Anti-abortion Links to Meeting with Trump Officials
THE GUARDIAN: Lib Dems accuse Reform leader of wanting to water down women’s rights after reports of help from advocacy group
Nigel Farage has been urged to explain why a US anti-abortion advocacy group helped arrange a meeting in London with Trump administration officials and diplomats.
The meeting, first reported by the New York Times, took place in March between Farage and a delegation from Trump’s state department, which it said was overseen by the US embassy and brokered by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) group. The meeting was said to have discussed abortion rights, free speech and online safety laws.
ADF, which supports free speech and religious freedom, has worked in Britain to help challenge the prosecutions of Christians who were arrested for praying silently outside abortion clinics, breaching “buffer zones”. The group, which is non-politically partisan and says it is a human rights charity, said it was not present at the meeting and had never met with Reform UK politicians to discuss abortion law.
In response to the meeting, the Liberal Democrats accused Farage of working with Trump officials and anti-abortion campaigners who want to water down women’s rights and urged him to explain what was discussed. » | Rowena Mason, Whitehall editor | Thursday, October 16, 2025
Keep Trump's disgusting dystopia well away from these shores! Say NO to Nigel Fags! — © Mark Alexander
Nigel Farage has been urged to explain why a US anti-abortion advocacy group helped arrange a meeting in London with Trump administration officials and diplomats.
The meeting, first reported by the New York Times, took place in March between Farage and a delegation from Trump’s state department, which it said was overseen by the US embassy and brokered by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) group. The meeting was said to have discussed abortion rights, free speech and online safety laws.
ADF, which supports free speech and religious freedom, has worked in Britain to help challenge the prosecutions of Christians who were arrested for praying silently outside abortion clinics, breaching “buffer zones”. The group, which is non-politically partisan and says it is a human rights charity, said it was not present at the meeting and had never met with Reform UK politicians to discuss abortion law.
In response to the meeting, the Liberal Democrats accused Farage of working with Trump officials and anti-abortion campaigners who want to water down women’s rights and urged him to explain what was discussed. » | Rowena Mason, Whitehall editor | Thursday, October 16, 2025
Keep Trump's disgusting dystopia well away from these shores! Say NO to Nigel Fags! — © Mark Alexander
"Scary Precedent": GOP Blocks Rep.-Elect Adelita Grijalva from Taking Seat amid Epstein Files Fight
Oct 8, 2025 | Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won a special election for a House seat in Arizona two weeks ago, has still not been sworn in to Congress. Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is blaming the government shutdown for the delay, even though he previously expedited the swearing-in of multiple Republicans who won their special elections before election results were even in. It's more likely, say supporters, that Grijalva is being held up to prevent what she has pledged will be her first act in Congress: adding her name to and thus triggering a vote on California Congressmember Ro Khanna's bill for the public release of files related to the federal investigation of sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. "She needs to get sworn in today," says Khanna, adding that every day Grijalva is not seated in the House "is breaking precedent and depriving people of who they voted for." Grijalva says, "This is an incredibly scary precedent to set. If you don't agree with the politics of the speaker, then they can keep you out of your duly elected office."
Khanna and Grijalva also discuss the legacy of Grijalva's late father, the long-time Arizona Congressmember Raúl Grijalva; the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration; right-wing attacks on freedom of the press; and more.
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Khanna and Grijalva also discuss the legacy of Grijalva's late father, the long-time Arizona Congressmember Raúl Grijalva; the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration; right-wing attacks on freedom of the press; and more.
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Why Is Trump Bailing Out Argentina's President Milei While Firing Thousands of Workers in US?
Democracy Now! can be supported here.
Academics Leave Trump’s America over Budget Cuts and Threats to Intellectual Freedom • FRANCE 24
‘I Love Hitler’: Leaked Texts EXPOSE Young Republicans’ Racist Chat, Politico Reports
Donald Trump back in 2018 referred to several countries such as Haiti, El Salvador and some unspecified African countries in an Oval Office meeting with some US senators as ”shithole countries”. The sad irony is, though, that Trump has now turned his own country into a ‘shithole country’! He has ruined a once perfectly decent country and turned into something truly cruel, awful, dangerous, and unenviable. Trump has also emboldened the "deplorables", as Hillary Clinton once so colourfully described them! — © Mark Alexander
EXPOSED: Young Republican Leaders Admit EVERYTHING in Leaked Group Chats
Strong language alert!
Behind the Scenes of the No Kings Movement | A Conversation with Ezra Levin
Homothérapies, conversion forcée | ARTE
Oct 15, 2025 | Un documentaire disponible jusqu'au 12/04/2026
À travers la parole de victimes et un travail d’infiltration journalistique, une enquête sidérante sur les organisations religieuses qui, dévoyant le christianisme et la psychanalyse, prétendent "guérir" les personnes homosexuelles.
Électrochocs, lobotomies frontales, "thérapies" hormonales... Dans les années 1970, aux États-Unis, la dépsychiatrisation de l'homosexualité met progressivement fin à ces pratiques médicales inhumaines, tout en donnant naissance à des mouvements religieux qui prétendent "guérir" ce qu'elles considèrent comme un péché, une déviance inacceptable. Depuis, les plus actives de ces associations - les évangéliques d'Exodus ou les catholiques de Courage - ont essaimé sur tous les continents, à travers une logique de franchises. Bénéficiant d'une confortable notoriété aux États-Unis ou dans l'ultracatholique Pologne, ces réseaux oeuvrent en toute discrétion en France et en Allemagne.
Étayée par le travail de deux jeunes journalistes, dont l'un s'est infiltré dans des mouvements français, cette enquête sur les "thérapies de conversion" donne la parole à des victimes de cinq pays. Leurs témoignages, à la fois rares et bouleversants, mettent en lumière les conséquences dévastatrices de pratiques qui s'apparentent à des dérives sectaires. "Nous avons affaire à une espèce de psychothérapie sauvage qui peut amener à la destruction de la personnalité", affirme ainsi Serge Blisko, ancien président de la Miviludes (Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires). En mars 2018, le Parlement européen a voté une résolution appelant les États membres à interdire ces prétendues thérapies.
Documentaire de Bernard Nicolas (France, 2019, 1h30mn)
Ending Conversion Therapy: Conversion therapy refers to a range of dangerous and discredited practices aimed at changing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. We are the leading campaign endeavoring to protect LGBTQ+ young people from conversion therapy and conversion camps in every state across the nation. »
À travers la parole de victimes et un travail d’infiltration journalistique, une enquête sidérante sur les organisations religieuses qui, dévoyant le christianisme et la psychanalyse, prétendent "guérir" les personnes homosexuelles.
Électrochocs, lobotomies frontales, "thérapies" hormonales... Dans les années 1970, aux États-Unis, la dépsychiatrisation de l'homosexualité met progressivement fin à ces pratiques médicales inhumaines, tout en donnant naissance à des mouvements religieux qui prétendent "guérir" ce qu'elles considèrent comme un péché, une déviance inacceptable. Depuis, les plus actives de ces associations - les évangéliques d'Exodus ou les catholiques de Courage - ont essaimé sur tous les continents, à travers une logique de franchises. Bénéficiant d'une confortable notoriété aux États-Unis ou dans l'ultracatholique Pologne, ces réseaux oeuvrent en toute discrétion en France et en Allemagne.
Étayée par le travail de deux jeunes journalistes, dont l'un s'est infiltré dans des mouvements français, cette enquête sur les "thérapies de conversion" donne la parole à des victimes de cinq pays. Leurs témoignages, à la fois rares et bouleversants, mettent en lumière les conséquences dévastatrices de pratiques qui s'apparentent à des dérives sectaires. "Nous avons affaire à une espèce de psychothérapie sauvage qui peut amener à la destruction de la personnalité", affirme ainsi Serge Blisko, ancien président de la Miviludes (Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires). En mars 2018, le Parlement européen a voté une résolution appelant les États membres à interdire ces prétendues thérapies.
Documentaire de Bernard Nicolas (France, 2019, 1h30mn)
Ending Conversion Therapy: Conversion therapy refers to a range of dangerous and discredited practices aimed at changing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. We are the leading campaign endeavoring to protect LGBTQ+ young people from conversion therapy and conversion camps in every state across the nation. »
Des prêtres gays brisent le silence | Reportage 2O25 | ARTE Regards
Oct 16, 2025 | Reportage disponible jusqu'au 01/10/2026
Être prêtre et être gay : un interdit dans l’Église catholique. Pendant deux ans, nous avons pu suivre, en France, le parcours de plusieurs prêtres homosexuels. Pour la première fois, ils ont accepté de s'exprimer face caméra. Face à une institution toujours bloquée dans une vision passéiste, certains prêtres homosexuels font le choix de rester au sein de l'Église, quand d’autres prennent le risque de tout quitter. Depuis 40 ans, des dizaines de prêtres se réunissent au sein d’un groupe de parole confidentiel pour parler de leur homosexualité. Désormais, ils veulent faire bouger les choses et être reconnus. Pour la première fois, ils ont ouvert leur porte à une caméra. Le parcours de ces prêtres cristallise tous les bouleversements qui traversent l’Église catholique : la représentation et acceptation de l’homosexualité, le célibat et la chasteté des prêtres, ou encore l’hypocrisie de l’institution.
Reportage (France, 2025, 31mn)
Être prêtre et être gay : un interdit dans l’Église catholique. Pendant deux ans, nous avons pu suivre, en France, le parcours de plusieurs prêtres homosexuels. Pour la première fois, ils ont accepté de s'exprimer face caméra. Face à une institution toujours bloquée dans une vision passéiste, certains prêtres homosexuels font le choix de rester au sein de l'Église, quand d’autres prennent le risque de tout quitter. Depuis 40 ans, des dizaines de prêtres se réunissent au sein d’un groupe de parole confidentiel pour parler de leur homosexualité. Désormais, ils veulent faire bouger les choses et être reconnus. Pour la première fois, ils ont ouvert leur porte à une caméra. Le parcours de ces prêtres cristallise tous les bouleversements qui traversent l’Église catholique : la représentation et acceptation de l’homosexualité, le célibat et la chasteté des prêtres, ou encore l’hypocrisie de l’institution.
Reportage (France, 2025, 31mn)
Schwule Priester brechen das Schweigen | ARTE Re:
Oct 16, 2025 | Priester sein und offen homosexuell leben, das geht nicht in der katholischen Kirche. ARTE-Reporter begleiteten in Frankreich zwei Jahre lang mehrere homosexuelle Priester in ihrem Alltag. Zum ersten Mal sprachen sie vor der Kamera.
Die katholische Kirche zwingt Priester mit homosexuellen Neigungen noch immer dazu, darüber zu schweigen. Einige entscheiden sich, das zu akzeptieren und in der Kirche zu bleiben, während andere sich offenbaren und ihr Priesteramt niederlegen.
Seit 40 Jahren treffen sich in Frankreich Dutzende Priester in einer vertraulichen Gesprächsgruppe, um über ihre Homosexualität zu sprechen. Sie wollen endlich nicht mehr schweigen müssen, sie wollen sich bekennen und anerkannt werden. Deshalb öffneten sie ihre Türen und sprachen zum ersten Mal vor der Kamera. Diese Priester stehen für einen Wandel, den sich viele wünschen und den gleichzeitig viele Gläubige und Kirchenmänner noch immer scharf ablehnen.
Reportage (F 2025, 31 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 01/10/2026
Die katholische Kirche zwingt Priester mit homosexuellen Neigungen noch immer dazu, darüber zu schweigen. Einige entscheiden sich, das zu akzeptieren und in der Kirche zu bleiben, während andere sich offenbaren und ihr Priesteramt niederlegen.
Seit 40 Jahren treffen sich in Frankreich Dutzende Priester in einer vertraulichen Gesprächsgruppe, um über ihre Homosexualität zu sprechen. Sie wollen endlich nicht mehr schweigen müssen, sie wollen sich bekennen und anerkannt werden. Deshalb öffneten sie ihre Türen und sprachen zum ersten Mal vor der Kamera. Diese Priester stehen für einen Wandel, den sich viele wünschen und den gleichzeitig viele Gläubige und Kirchenmänner noch immer scharf ablehnen.
Reportage (F 2025, 31 Min)
Video verfügbar bis zum 01/10/2026
War Could Return to Gaza as Israel Sets Impossible Ceasefire Conditions: Analysis
Oct 16, 2025 | Hamas return the remains of two more Israeli captives but admits that it will need specialised equipment and assistance to locate bodies still buried beneath the rubble.
Israel says there will be no advance to next phase of Gaza peace plan until Hamas returns the remains of all 28 captives.
US President Donald Trump has acknowledged the challenges of finding the remaining bodies and has spoken about the difficulty of retrieving the bodies from destroyed areas in Gaza, calling it a “gruesome process”.
Middle East and Gulf politics analyst, Luciano Zaccara, warns Israel's ceasefire terms are impossible, risking renewed Gaza war as Trump faces a credibility test in Middle East.
Israel says there will be no advance to next phase of Gaza peace plan until Hamas returns the remains of all 28 captives.
US President Donald Trump has acknowledged the challenges of finding the remaining bodies and has spoken about the difficulty of retrieving the bodies from destroyed areas in Gaza, calling it a “gruesome process”.
Middle East and Gulf politics analyst, Luciano Zaccara, warns Israel's ceasefire terms are impossible, risking renewed Gaza war as Trump faces a credibility test in Middle East.
Thom Hartmann: The US Recession Has Begun
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