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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
Russia has been trying to support criminal Trump first to become President, then to cut deals with him when he was President and, now, as he seeks to be re-elected. It is perfectly clear who Putin favors and why. The interesting thing for me is that yesterday as I was working I had the Foix Disinformation Channel playing in the background, and they virtually mirrored Russian TV. In an early period of American history this would be a major story. Today, I found only two mentions of it, and those only minor websites.
US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017 Credit: AFP).
Russian state television personalities this week were reportedly crestfallen by news of former President Donald Trump’s criminal conviction on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
The Daily Beast’s Julia Davis reports that television personalities in Russia were despondent to see their preferred candidate dealt a guilty verdict, even as they hoped he could still go on to win the 2024 presidential election.
State Duma member Aleksei Zhuravlyov, for one, said that the jury’s decision to convict Trump was a poor reflection on Americans’ intelligence.
“There are idiots in every country, but this is the only instance where idiots have their own country,” he declared. “This is something new in history.”
TV host Dmitry Kulikov, meanwhile, angrily declared that, “They wronged our Donald Trump!” before interviewing political […]
LISA MASCARO and MARY CLARE JALONICK, Reporters - Associated Press
Stephan:
Here is a clear example of the failure of the U.S. Congress, both Democrat and Republican leaders. They have invited Benjamin Netanyahu, a war criminal responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Palestinian women and children, to address a joint session of Congress in order to show how ironclad our commitment to Israel remains. The result will be more death in Gaza, and further diminishment of the respect and stature of the United States in the rest of the world.
War criminal Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited to address a joint session of Congress by both Democrat and Republican leadership. Credit: AP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressional leaders have invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to deliver an address a the Capitol, a show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite mounting political divisions over Israel’s military assault on Gaza.
The invitation from House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, has been in the works for some time. No date for the speech was set.
Leaders said the invitation was extended to “highlight America’s solidarity with Israel.”
“We invite you to share the Israeli government’s vision for defending democracy, combatting terror and establishing a just and lasting peace in the region,” they wrote.
A speech by Netanyahu would almost certainly expose election-year divisions in the U.S., where a growing number of Democrats have turned away from […]
Journalism, as it has existed for centuries, is disappearing in the United States. First, local newspapers are closing by the dozens. Getting local news is becoming harder and harder to obtain. Second, even when a paper still exists, as this article describes, the stories it presents may not be written by actual journalists or even humans. Third, most people today seem to get what news they read from social media, where disinformation is the norm. The result is a population so ill-informed that democracy may not survive.
A network of local news outlets has been trading in human hands for AI to report stories. Credit: Moyo Studio /E+ / Getty
The articles on a local news site popping up around the country appear to cover what any community outlet would focus on: crime, local politics, weather and happenings. “In-depth reporting about your home area,” the outlet’s slogan proudly declares.
But a closer look at the bylines populating the local site and a national network of others — Sarah Kim, Jake Rodriguez, Mitch M. Rosenthal — reveals a tiny badge with the words “AI.” These are not real bylines. In fact, the names don’t even belong to real humans. The articles were written with the use of artificial intelligence.
The outlet, Hoodline, is not the first or only news site to harness AI. News organizations across the world are grappling with how to take advantage of the rapidly developing technology, while also not being overrun by it.
But experts warn that relying too heavily on AI could wreck the credibility of news organizations and potentially supercharge the spread of misinformation if not kept in close check. Media companies integrating AI in news publishing have also seen it backfire, resulting in […]
Maura Barrett and Lucas Thompson, Reporters - NBC News
Stephan:
This is very good news. Vermont has now done what every state should do. As this article describes the state has passed a law holding fossil fuel companies responsible for the disasters that are occurring because of the climate change carbon energy has caused. Bravo, Vermont.
Flooding in downtown Montpelier, Vermont, in July 2023. Credit: John Tully / The Washington Post / Getty
A new law in Vermont — the first of its kind in the U.S. — will require fossil fuel companies to pay for a share of the costs of weather disasters fueled by climate change.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott allowed the bill to become law on Thursday night without his signature, after it passed in the state Legislature with the support of a supermajority of Democrats.
Vermont’s law has been referred to as the “Climate Superfund Act” because it is modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency’s superfund program, which requires the companies responsible for environmental contamination to either do cleanup work themselves or reimburse the government for it. Vermont’s bill similarly mandates that big oil companies and other high emitters pay for the costs of recovering from and preparing for extreme weather caused by climate change.
Which companies will be charged, and precisely how much, will be […]
How you vote in November, as this article explains, is going to make a big difference as to what your tax rate will be.
Illustration: Sarah Grillo / Axios
When Americans go to the polls in November, they will be deciding the playing field for the biggest battle in memory over the direction of U.S. fiscal policy.
The big picture: Major provisions of former President Trump’s 2017 tax law expire at the end of 2025, meaning taxes would go up for most Americans if no new bill is passed. Neither party wants to let that happen in its entirety — but Democrats and Republicans have radically different visions of what the tax code should look like in 2026 and beyond.
Why it matters: Control of the White House, Senate and House will determine who holds the best cards in negotiations to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). The legislation that results will decide the outlook for U.S. public debt, and where the burden of paying for government falls.
“Doing nothing means you go over a cliff,” Zach Moller, director of centrist think tank Third Way’s […]
Drones have changed the nature of war weaponry, and this new British technology is a response to that. It makes the Israeli genocide in Gaza even more obscene. It forces one to ask, was their no other way to conduct Israel’s war than killing tens of thousands of women and children?
The RFDEW – a 13-cent solution to a million-dollar problem. Credit: U.K. Crown
A new directed energy weapon is being rolled out to bolster British defense capabilities. And, at 13 cents a shot, it’s just as effective, but a lot cheaper than the multi-million dollar missiles it’s designed to replace.
The Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW) is part of the British government’s policy to respond to a changing geopolitical situation, placing the country’s defense on more of a war footing as it increases spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. This policy change also includes fast-tracking the rollout of lasers and other directed energy weapons.
The latter is extremely important, because, well, knocking out a drone that costs a few grand with a missile costing millions of dollars per round is bad economics – see, for example, the US$1.3-2.5 million Sea Viper missile used to take out a US$20,000 drone, as reported by Navy Lookout. Also, missile stockpiles tend to be pretty small, […]
Emily Badger, Margot Sanger-Katz and Claire Cain Miller, -
Stephan:
This article dates to 2022, but I am running it today to show the obscene lie behind the anti-abortion movement in MAGAt States. The anti-abortion claim of MAGAt advocates is protecting babies. But the truth is it is about controlling women, and keeping them subordinate. What is the proof? You have a lot of rights in those states as a fertilized egg but, once you are born, these same MAGAt States don’t give a damn about your wellbeing, or your mother’s. The social outcome data prove this, as this article describes.
Today, however, Mississippi fares poorly on just about any measure of that goal. Its infant and maternal mortality rates are among the worst in the nation.
State leaders have rejected the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, leaving an estimated 43,000 women of reproductive age without health insurance. They have chosen not to extend Medicaid to women for a full year after giving birth. And they have a welfare program that gives some of the country’s least generous cash assistance — a maximum of $260 a month for a poor mother raising two children.
Mississippi embodies a national pattern: States that have banned abortion, or are expected to, have among the nation’s weakest social services for women and children, and have higher rates of death for infants and mothers.
According to a New York Times analysis, the 24 states that have banned abortion […]
I don’t know how it could be made any clearer that the oligarchs want criminal Trump as President because of what he will do to reduce their taxes and give them greater control over the country. They don’t care if he is a convicted rapist, multi-convicted grifter, and convicted super-felon. It is all about money and power; it has nothing to do with fostering national wellbeing. And the MAGAt peasants love him because he promises to address their resentments, racism, and pseudo-Christianity.
Miriam Adelson (center), controlling shareholder of the Las Vegas Sandals Corp., watches the Phoenix Suns play the Dallas Mavericks in the first half of an NBA basketball game in Dallas, on Feb. 22, 2024. Credit: Tony Gutierrez / AP
Republican mega-donor and casino billionaire Miriam Adelson plans to help bankroll a massive super PAC for Donald Trump as he seeks to close his financial gap with President Joe Biden.
Adelson is planning to play a major role in funding Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC founded during the former president’s 2020 reelection campaign. The group is now being reconstituted for the purpose of helping Trump’s 2024 bid, according to a person with direct knowledge of her plans who was granted anonymity to speak freely.
How much Adelson will donate to the super PAC is not clear, though the person familiar with her plans said the group was expecting to spend more than it did four years ago when Adelson and her late husband, Sheldon, donated $90 million to Preserve America. Their funds accounted for about 85 […]
