cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5235105

California national guards troops and marines deployed to Los Angeles to help restore order after days of protest against the Trump administration have told friends and family members they are deeply unhappy about the assignment and worry their only meaningful role will be as pawns in a political battle they do not want to join.

Three different advocacy organisations representing military families said they had heard from dozens of affected service members who expressed discomfort about being drawn into a domestic policing operation outside their normal field of operations. The groups said they have heard no countervailing opinions.

“The sentiment across the board right now is that deploying military force against our own communities isn’t the kind of national security we signed up for,” said Sarah Streyder of the Secure Families Initiative, which represents the interests of military spouses, children and veterans.

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5182073

The Israeli military is arming gangs to combat Hamas in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Thursday. The revelation comes to light after right-wing Israeli lawmaker Avigdor Lieberman accused Netanyahu on Israeli public broadcaster Kan yesterday of arming a gang of hundreds of men in Rafah as a counterweight to Hamas influence in the Strip. The Prime Minister’s office responded by saying that it was combating the Palestinian resistance group “in various ways, on the recommendation of all heads of the security establishment.”

Later, Netanyahu officially confirmed the reports in a video posted on X. “On the advice of security officials, we activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas,” the Israeli Prime Minister said. “What’s wrong with that? It only saves the lives of Israeli soldiers.”

Among these groups is an armed gang led by a man named Yasser Abu Shabab, a thief and drug trafficker from Rafah who led groups of hundreds of armed men in looting aid convoys during the latter half of 2024. Descended from the influential Bedouin Tarabin clan, which spans southern Gaza, the Sinai, and the Naqab Desert, Abu Shabab has been described by Israeli media outlets as “linked to ISIS,” likely due to Abu Shabab’s involvement in drug trafficking networks between Gaza and the Sinai in which ISIS has been implicated.

This policy comes in the wake of a systematic Israeli campaign of assassinating the Hamas government’s civil servants to cause social collapse in Gaza and foment chaos and lawlessness in the Strip. The Israeli army has been deliberately targeting Interior Ministry bureaucrats, the police force, and the security services to create a vacuum that is then filled by armed looters like Abu Shabab’s group, as recently reported by Mondoweiss.

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5156849

by slammer

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5091655

Is the U.S. genuinely aiming to save Gaza’s population from starvation? Or is the true purpose of Israeli-U.S. aid in Gaza to empower Israel to prolong its war while pacifying Palestinians with minimal food supplies amid mounting international pressure? After Rafah was completely destroyed — homes flattened and entire families erased from the civil registry — Israel took full control of the city. On May 27, it distributed what it called “aid,” with U.S. assistance. During the so-called aid distribution, Palestinians who had walked long distances searching for basic food supplies were killed by the Israeli military. Has bread now become something we must pay for with blood?

For Gaza’s people, reaching the Israeli-U.S. aid point in Rafah was no easy task. The journey was long, dangerous and shadowed by constant airstrike threats. There is no safety in Gaza. But hunger — a weapon Israel has deliberately used against civilians — has forced many families to take the risk, especially after several children in the Strip have starved to death.

The suffering was not just hunger or distance — it was the complete collapse of life in Gaza. No transportation, no services, no infrastructure. All this hardship for a small bag of basic food! But what happened next was even more devastating. On May 27, after these families finally arrived, the Israeli army opened fire on civilians scrambling for food. Three were killed, 46 wounded. The military’s excuse? “There was chaos.”

But how can anyone expect order from a starving population, terrified of returning home empty-handed to hungry children?

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5080234

Any time a federal agency wants to develop a project in Wyoming — an oil and gas lease, a pipeline, a dam, a transmission line, a solar array — it has to go through Crystal C’Bearing first. C’Bearing is Northern Arapaho and the tribal historic preservation officer, or THPO, for the Northern Arapaho tribe, so if a new wind farm is proposed, for example, she determines if any tribal areas will be impacted by the project.

C’Bearing’s scope extends beyond her home on the Wind River Reservation, to any and all lands ceded by treaty, routes tribal members took during the removal process, burial sites, and religious places. That means she reviews projects across 16 states in addition to Wyoming, from Wisconsin to Montana, New Mexico to Arkansas, and all points in between — traditional homelands of the Northern Arapaho and other Indigenous nations, acquired by the United States as it forcefully expanded westward. Because of that range, hundreds of federal proposals and reports flood her email inbox every week, as is the case with 227 other THPOs working for their respective nations. Many have overlapping historic homelands and histories.

In January, President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency to speed the development of fossil fuel projects, mines, pipelines, and other energy-related infrastructure, cutting the amount of time federal agencies are required to notify Indigenous nations before starting a project. Now, as Trump’s proposed budget for 2026 works its way through Congress, the fund supporting the national THPO program is bracing for a 94 percent budget cut. On top of that, the Trump administration has yet to distribute THPO funds promised for 2025.

Traditionally, THPOs like C’Bearing have 30 days to review a project: 30 days to review federal reports, conduct site visits, identify artifacts or burial grounds, and collaborate with tribal members, sometimes from other tribes. According to C’Bearing, that window was already tight, but under Trump’s energy emergency, that deadline is now seven days. And as the year rolls on, C’Bearing’s budget is evaporating. If the administration doesn’t release the THPO funds already promised, she’ll be out of a job come September.

“If this is the moment that breaks the system, there’s not going to be anything there to catch the THPOs,” said Valerie Grussing, executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5080234

Any time a federal agency wants to develop a project in Wyoming — an oil and gas lease, a pipeline, a dam, a transmission line, a solar array — it has to go through Crystal C’Bearing first. C’Bearing is Northern Arapaho and the tribal historic preservation officer, or THPO, for the Northern Arapaho tribe, so if a new wind farm is proposed, for example, she determines if any tribal areas will be impacted by the project.

C’Bearing’s scope extends beyond her home on the Wind River Reservation, to any and all lands ceded by treaty, routes tribal members took during the removal process, burial sites, and religious places. That means she reviews projects across 16 states in addition to Wyoming, from Wisconsin to Montana, New Mexico to Arkansas, and all points in between — traditional homelands of the Northern Arapaho and other Indigenous nations, acquired by the United States as it forcefully expanded westward. Because of that range, hundreds of federal proposals and reports flood her email inbox every week, as is the case with 227 other THPOs working for their respective nations. Many have overlapping historic homelands and histories.

In January, President Donald Trump declared a national energy emergency to speed the development of fossil fuel projects, mines, pipelines, and other energy-related infrastructure, cutting the amount of time federal agencies are required to notify Indigenous nations before starting a project. Now, as Trump’s proposed budget for 2026 works its way through Congress, the fund supporting the national THPO program is bracing for a 94 percent budget cut. On top of that, the Trump administration has yet to distribute THPO funds promised for 2025.

Traditionally, THPOs like C’Bearing have 30 days to review a project: 30 days to review federal reports, conduct site visits, identify artifacts or burial grounds, and collaborate with tribal members, sometimes from other tribes. According to C’Bearing, that window was already tight, but under Trump’s energy emergency, that deadline is now seven days. And as the year rolls on, C’Bearing’s budget is evaporating. If the administration doesn’t release the THPO funds already promised, she’ll be out of a job come September.

“If this is the moment that breaks the system, there’s not going to be anything there to catch the THPOs,” said Valerie Grussing, executive director of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5071697

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a last-minute plea from Native Americans seeking to challenge a massive copper mining project in Arizona that would destroy a sacred site used for tribal ceremonies, a weighty dispute that pitted religious rights against business interests.

The court turned away an appeal brought by the nonprofit group Apache Stronghold asserting that its members' religious rights will be violated if the Resolution Copper mine goes forward because it would obliterate Oak Flat, the site in question.

The Trump administration recently announced its backing of the project, which is now set to move forward.

Vicky Peacey, general manager at Resolution Copper, said in a statement that "extensive consultation" with tribes has already led to significant changes to the project.

Peacey added that the "ongoing dialogue will continue to shape the project."

Wendsler Nosie Sr., a member of Apache Stronghold, said in a statement the fight would continue.

"While this decision is a heavy blow, our struggle is far from over. We urge Congress to take decisive action to stop this injustice while we press forward in the courts," he said.

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5071697

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a last-minute plea from Native Americans seeking to challenge a massive copper mining project in Arizona that would destroy a sacred site used for tribal ceremonies, a weighty dispute that pitted religious rights against business interests.

The court turned away an appeal brought by the nonprofit group Apache Stronghold asserting that its members' religious rights will be violated if the Resolution Copper mine goes forward because it would obliterate Oak Flat, the site in question.

The Trump administration recently announced its backing of the project, which is now set to move forward.

Vicky Peacey, general manager at Resolution Copper, said in a statement that "extensive consultation" with tribes has already led to significant changes to the project.

Peacey added that the "ongoing dialogue will continue to shape the project."

Wendsler Nosie Sr., a member of Apache Stronghold, said in a statement the fight would continue.

"While this decision is a heavy blow, our struggle is far from over. We urge Congress to take decisive action to stop this injustice while we press forward in the courts," he said.

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5057980

new video: The PFLP is the faction leftists relate to the most,yet know very little about it. How did it apply Marxism in Palestine? How do they differ from other leftist factions?Why did it get "weaker"? Watch:

Youtube link: youtu.be/_fXEt76xlQE

Support the Channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BesDMarx

Feedback and Questions on my Twitter: https://www.x.com/BesDMarx

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5055533

With the brief window for fiddlehead foraging nearing its close, citizens of the Mi’kmaq Nation hope to collect the traditional food source this week from the Aroostook River flood plain to test as part of their research into understanding, and in turn reducing, forever chemicals in the food supply.

However, they may no longer be able to afford to do the testing they’d planned.

Following months of preparation after securing federal funding in September, the team received an email from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Mission Support on May 13 stating that their four-year grant had been terminated, effective immediately.

“The objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities,” the email read.

The EPA terminated all of the ten grants it had awarded for research into reducing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, in plants and animals, including two others to Maine-based teams led by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the University of Maine. PFAS have been linked to long term adverse health outcomes, such as cancers and weakened immune systems, and their pervasiveness in agriculture is not fully understood.

“It’s complete overreach,” said Chelli Stanley, co-founder of an organization committed to cleaning contaminated land, Upland Grassroots, which is part of the research team headed by the Mi’kmaq Nation. “We’re going to appeal. We’re also seeking legal aid.”

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/5055533

With the brief window for fiddlehead foraging nearing its close, citizens of the Mi’kmaq Nation hope to collect the traditional food source this week from the Aroostook River flood plain to test as part of their research into understanding, and in turn reducing, forever chemicals in the food supply.

However, they may no longer be able to afford to do the testing they’d planned.

Following months of preparation after securing federal funding in September, the team received an email from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Mission Support on May 13 stating that their four-year grant had been terminated, effective immediately.

“The objectives of the award are no longer consistent with EPA funding priorities,” the email read.

The EPA terminated all of the ten grants it had awarded for research into reducing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, otherwise known as PFAS, in plants and animals, including two others to Maine-based teams led by the Passamaquoddy Tribe and the University of Maine. PFAS have been linked to long term adverse health outcomes, such as cancers and weakened immune systems, and their pervasiveness in agriculture is not fully understood.

“It’s complete overreach,” said Chelli Stanley, co-founder of an organization committed to cleaning contaminated land, Upland Grassroots, which is part of the research team headed by the Mi’kmaq Nation. “We’re going to appeal. We’re also seeking legal aid.”

Full Article