... on a quiet day, I can hear her breathing

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threaten to target key internet cables
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A view from the exhibition as Iran exhibits its missiles, satellite-carrying rockets and air defence systems, including the missiles and drones used in the Israeli attack, at the Aviation and Space Park Permanent Exhibition Centre of the Revolutionary Guards Army in capital Tehran, Iran on November 12, 2025. [Fatemeh Bahrami – Anadolu Agency]
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened to target major internet cables passing through the Strait of Hormuz, saying it has identified new targets amid the ongoing war with the United States and the tightening blockade on Iran.
“Seven major internet cables pass under the Strait of Hormuz, and the enemy must know that we have new targets,” the IRGC said on Monday.
Earlier, US embassies in four Middle Eastern countries warned of possible rapid security developments, including attacks by Iran and its allies.
The warnings were issued in statements late on Sunday by US embassies in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Israel.
The embassies urged US citizens to exercise ‘heightened vigilance’ due to the “complex security environment”.
They also warned of “potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.” They advised Americans travelling to and from the region to monitor updates from airports and airlines and prepare alternative plans in advance.
The statements said “Iranian-supported Houthis have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.”
The embassies warned that these “hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly beyond that immediate area.”
Araghchi: Europe paying price for miscalculations, just like US
This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Orcas discuss rotting brain, front Orca says he wishes someone would lock him up, small Orca speaks bluntly.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel. New Labour UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham continues Labour party policy of active support and complicity in Israel’s genocide.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham admits to blatently lying and engaging in deception to become leader of the UK Labour Party and Prime Minister.
Ed Miliband says that he and the Labour Party are full of shit criminalising people holding signs as terrorists despite anything he says.

Andy Burnham stands with Israel
20 October 2026
‘Mississippi Goddam’: State AG Calls Police Killing of Toddler Kohen Wiley ‘Justified’
Article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
One-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot dead by a Senatobia, Mississippi police officer on June 14, 2026.
(Photo by Wiley family)
“Kohen should be alive,” said one civil rights attorney. “He and his family deserve accountability. The fight for justice continues.”
Republican Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch on Monday declared the fatal police shooting of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley “justified,” provoking outrage over a decision that civil rights advocates said underscores the enduring systemic racism in US policing and prosecution.
Wiley, who is Black, was killed on June 14 in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi as he sat in his mother’s arms inside a car. Police had responded to an allegation that his mother, Vellesiya Wiley, and another woman, Latoya Ferrell—the baby’s aunt—had stolen diapers.
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Senatobia Police Sgt. Hunter Foster, who is white, opened fire on the car, striking Wiley and Ferrell, who was critically wounded. Neither woman has been charged, and authorities have not publicly released evidence establishing that a theft occurred.
“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Wiley said after her son’s killing.
A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE. Horror and racism from Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch as she announces that the police shooting of Black baby Kohen Wiley was "justified."
— Indivisible Chicago Alliance ❌👑 (@indivisiblechicago.bsky.social) 2026-10-19T19:01:24.464Z

Cellphone video footage showed a vehicle driving away from officers, but does not appear to capture the moment of the shooting. A photo of the car shows bullet holes in the windshield.
In a brief statement, Fitch’s office said it had “completed the review” of the shooting and “found the use of force was justified.”
The finding means that Foster will face no criminal charges.
“How can anyone accept that conclusion when Kohen’s family and the public still have not been allowed to see the body camera footage?” national civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Wiley family, said following Fitch’s announcement.
“This is a department whose chief was fired after reports of racial slurs in his text messages, and whose officer faced a complaint alleging a racially offensive remark two days before he shot Kohen,” he added. “If the footage supports the state’s decision, release it. We will not stop fighting until this family gets the truth.”
Last month, the city of Senatobia fired former Police Chief Harold Vanderford after text messages emerged in which he regularly used racial slurs.
Marquell Bridges, a Mississippi activist who is president of the Building Bridges Coalition, told the Mississippi Free Press Monday that “there is blood” on the hands of “not just Hunter Foster, but everyone that is complicit in the cover-up, including Attorney General Lynn Fitch.”
UPDATE: Today, October 19, 2026, the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office announced that it found the officer’s use of force “justified” in the shooting that killed 1-year-old Kohen Wiley.

Kohen was fatally shot by a Senatobia police officer while inside a car outside Walmart… pic.twitter.com/SUUiJdoRvq
— Lee Merritt (@LeeMerrittesq) October 19, 2026

Rev. Cornell William Brooks—a lawyer, civil rights activist, and professor—posted on social media, “BABY EXECUTION BY JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE.”
“With the video, the public won’t buy this,” Brooks added. “A fleeing alleged shoplifter does not justify shooting into a vehicle with a known ‘baby on board.’ Every alleged perception of danger doesn’t justify every Black death.”
Writer and racial justice advocate Tanisha Long voiced her indignation in the words of a famous Civil Rights-era protest song from Jazz icon Nina Simone:
“Mississippi Goddam.”
Article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Family Seeks Answers, Justice After Mississippi Cop Kills Toddler Kohen Wiley in Walmart Lot ›
20 October 2026

‘Hands Off Our People!’: Fury After ICE Agents Break US-Born Man’s Arm in Long Beach

Article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

An ICE agent pins Ricard Gonzalez—whose arm is visibly broken—to the ground in Long Beach, California on October 17, 2026. (Photo by stopice.net)

“ICE has no place terrorizing our streets or subjecting our residents to random stops and harassment simply because of the color of their skin,” said the city councilwoman representing the district.

Residents of Long Beach, California and their elected officials are among those condemning a Saturday assault by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that left a US citizen hospitalized with a broken arm and a community demanding an end to ICE terror.

Ricardo Gonzalez, a 40-year-old former Long Beach city employee born in Hanford, California, was riding his electric bicycle near Elm Avenue and 56th Street in North Long Beach on Saturday when federal agents in an unmarked vehicle allegedly struck him, tased him twice, and handcuffed him, his daughter, Leslie Gonzalez, told the Long Beach Watchdog.

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In a differing account, a neighbor who witnessed the incident told The Long Beach Post that an agent jumped out of the unmarked vehicle and tackled Gonzalez to the ground.

Video recorded by Sherman Austin, founder of stopice.net, shows ICE agents handcuffing Ricardo, who is lying face-down in the gutter repeatedly screaming that his arm is broken and that he needs medical aid.

ICE run over U.S. citizen riding his bike—break his arm.

Agents handcuff him behind his back without calling paramedics.

They inflict even more injuries—send him to the hospital in serious condition.

Then agents detain another U.S. citizen—for yelling at them on the sidewalk.… pic.twitter.com/jmP6TtR3t4
— LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 (@LongTimeHistory) October 18, 2026

As the incident unfolded, community members, including volunteers with anti-ICE rapid response groups, converged on the area to confront the agents and warn residents of their presence. But instead of staying inside, many people came out to intervene as Gonzalez was brutalized.

Residents were reportedly already on edge due to the presence of numerous unmarked law enforcement vehicles in the neighborhood since early Saturday morning.

According to the Post, neighbors demanded to see a warrant for Gonzalez’s arrest and placed trash cans and their own bodies in the way of agents’ vehicles to stop them from leaving.

“If they try to take one of us, they’re going to have to take all of Long Beach,” resident Patricia Velazquez told the Post.

One neighborhood resident accused agents of making racist remarks to people who gathered to confront them, including saying that they didn’t “look legal.”

During a roughly hourlong standoff, agents grabbed two women—both US citizens—and forced them into the backs of different vehicles, according to the Post. One bystander told the outlet that community members distracted agents while others freed the detained women by sneaking up and opening the doors of the cars in which they were held.

“I’m proud of the neighbors who documented and stood up for the family being terrorized by ICE,” Congressman Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said Sunday on social media. “[President] Donald Trump and his inhumane and illegal deportation machine must be stopped. Long Beach stands with our community and our immigrant families. ICE is not welcome in Long Beach. Abolish ICE.”

Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, a Democrat, said in a video posted to Instagram that “ICE doesn’t belong in our city and this activity undermines community safety and public trust.”

“No family should have to live in fear in their own neighborhood,” Richardson stressed. “Our residents deserve to feel safe.”

“To our immigrant communities: You are part of Long Beach. You belong here. And you deserve to feel safe here,” the mayor added. “Whatever happens at the federal level, our responsibility remains the same: protect our residents, respond to emergencies, and keep our community informed.”

Long Beach City Councilmember Tunua Thrash-Ntuk, a Democrat who represents the district where the incident took place, said Sunday that ICE agents need to keep their “hands off our people!”

“In a free country, no one should be riding their bike in their own neighborhood only to be subjected to an unprovoked assault by a government agent,” she argued. “ICE has no place terrorizing our streets or subjecting our residents to random stops and harassment simply because of the color of their skin. This lawless chaos demands our universal condemnation.”

Local police also faced criticism for their handling of the incident. Videos posted to social media showed Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) vehicles blocking streets and residents asking why officers were assisting in a federal immigration operation in apparent violation of state law.

LBPD subsequently issued a statement saying that ICE “requested emergency assistance” and that the department “does not enforce civil immigration law and does not participate in federal immigration enforcement,” but also “cannot legally obstruct or interfere with federal enforcement operations.”

It is unclear why ICE agents attacked Gonzalez. A neighbor told the Post that an agent accused Gonzalez of throwing something at their vehicle.

Despite his injuries, Gonzalez put his arm in a sling to go to a local park and watch his son play in a soccer match on Sunday.

“He’s just in pain. He can’t really sit down; it hurts when he gets up,” Leslie Gonzalez, his daughter, told the Watchdog on Sunday. “He’s just trying to get out of the house and move around. He didn’t just want to sit in the house and dwell all day.”

In a GoFundMe page titled “Support Ricardo’s Fight for Justice and Recovery,” Leslie Gonzalez wrote: “My dad is one of the hardest working men out there. Because of him I have a roof over my head and I have all the opportunities around me. Our family is everything because of him. We ask for your support and prayers during this awful time.”

Leslie Gonzalez told the Watchdog: “I wouldn’t have believed in a million years that this would ever happen to my family.”

“But that’s just a bad mindset to put yourself in,” she added, “because it could happen to anyone.”

A ProPublica investigation published earlier this month documented more than 500 cases of US citizens detained by immigration agents since the start of the second Trump administration, including more than 100 people held after agents questioned their citizenship and at least 70 children and teenagers.

At least four US citizens—Ruben Ray Martinez, Keith Porter Jr., Renee Good, and Alex Pretti—have been killed by Department of Homeland Security agents during Trump’s second term. More than 50 immigrants have died in ICE custody since January 2025.

“I’ve never seen so many US citizen encounters in all my years,” Darius Reeves, who oversaw ICE’s Baltimore office before retiring last year, told ProPublica. “It’s an embarrassment.”

We are at a crossroads

This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads.

In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by.

We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it.

Trump didn’t emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests.

They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us.

It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats.

People know when they’re being lied to, but you won’t hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news.

Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work.

Article by Brett Wilkins republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an obviously insane, xenophobic Fascist.

20 October 2026

Zack Polanski DESTROYS Israel Smear Campaign

20 October 2026
‘Answer to youth unemployment is not cut benefits and any job available,’ Burnham told
ANDY BURNHAM was warned against pushing young people into “any job available” today after he pledged “big changes” to reduce the welfare bill.
…
Writing in The Times, he said that every young person will be guaranteed a “high-quality technical pathway, work placements, apprenticeships and the skills and experience they need to secure a good job” with “timely, high-quality mental health support” available.
But that will be matched by an “expectation that young people will take up the opportunities made available to them”, Mr Burnham said.
Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Fran Heathcote told the Morning Star: “Creating opportunities for young people is welcome, but apprenticeships and placements are only meaningful if they lead to decent, secure jobs with proper pay and progression.
“Young people need more than a foot on the career ladder — they need a realistic chance to build a future.
“The answer to youth unemployment cannot be to cut benefits and push people into any job available.
“The government must invest in genuine employment support, good-quality jobs and the public services that provide thousands of career opportunities for young people.”
Green Party deputy co-leader Mothin Ali also accused Labour of planning a “welfare cuts charter that would take support away from young people who are already struggling and vulnerable.”
…
20 October 2026

Andy Burnham stands with Israel

“ICE has no place terrorizing our streets or subjecting our residents to random stops and harassment simply because of the color of their skin,” said the city councilwoman representing the district.