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‘No War Crimes Are Off Limits’ as Trump Reportedly Mulling Bombing Targets in Venezuela

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Original article by Olivia Rosane republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) looks on as US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

NBC reported Friday that the US military is considering options including drone strikes against drug cartel members within the South American country, prompting fears of escalation.

The Trump administration may strike alleged drug targets inside Venezuela’s borders within weeks, sources familiar with the situation told NBC News on Friday.

Two US officials and two other sources with knowledge of the conversations that had taken place said that the US military was considering plans that could include drone strikes against members and leaders of drug trafficking groups as well as drug laboratories. If approved, the strikes would be a further escalation following three Trump administration attacks on alleged drug-carrying boats in the Caribbean that have killed at least 17 people, even though the administration has provided no evidence that those killed were actually smuggling drugs.

“More mass murder on the cards?” the news outlet Venezeulanaysis wrote in response. “NBC reports that the Trump administration is weighing strikes against ‘drug targets’ (emphasis on the air quotes) inside Venezuelan territory. Lots of speculation and anonymous sources, but it shows that no war crimes are off limits.”

US President Donald Trump has already come under heavy criticism for authorizing boat strikes that many decry as illegal. Democratic lawmakers have moved to bar the president from authorizing further attacks, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for the United Nations to take criminal proceedings against the US president in a speech on Tuesday.

“This is the most egregious instance of disinformation against our nation, intended to justify an escalation to armed conflict that would inflict catastrophic damage across the entire continent.”

Now, observers are responding with alarm to the news that the administration might go even further.

El Pais correspondent Juan Diego Quesada wrote on social media that strikes within Venezuelan territory “would escalate the conflict to a level whose consequences I dare not measure.”

“How would this not be considered an act of war?” asked poster Cindy Gossett. “Trump can’t just claim Venezuelan citizens are drug lords therefore he’s going to fly a drone over and destroy them. If Venezuela did the same in our country it wouldn’t be accepted.”

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Friday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said that the US had an “illegal and completely immoral military threat hanging over our heads.”

Pinto also cast doubt on the notion that the Trump administration’s true aim was to combat the drug trade.

He accused the US of trying to permit “external powers to rob Venezuela’s immeasurable oil and gas wealth” and said that the administration was using “vulgar and perverse lies” to “justify an atrocious, extravagant, and immoral multibillion-dollar military threat.”

Trump has yet to authorize any particular plan, according to NBC. The Pentagon declined to comment on their report, and the White House referred the outlet to a previous statement from Trump: “We’ll see what happens. Venezuela is sending us their gang members, their drug dealers, and drugs. It’s not acceptable.”

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied that his administration has not done enough to prevent drug trafficking through the South American country, as Trump has accused.

Maduro sent a letter to the White House on September 6 calling for peace and dialogue and defending his record, noting that, according to a UN report, only 5% of the drugs that leave Colombia do so via Venezuela.

He wrote of the trafficking claims, “This is the most egregious instance of disinformation against our nation, intended to justify an escalation to armed conflict that would inflict catastrophic damage across the entire continent.”

Toward the end of the letter, he appealed to Trump to work with him to reduce tensions.

“President, I hope that together we can defeat the falsehoods that have sullied our relationship, which must be historic and peaceful,” Maduro wrote.

Original article by Olivia Rosane republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Continue Reading‘No War Crimes Are Off Limits’ as Trump Reportedly Mulling Bombing Targets in Venezuela

Oregon Files Suit Against Trump to Stop ‘Unlawful’ National Guard Deployment

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Original article by Jon Queally republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Protesters march on September 28, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. In a Truth Social post on September 27th, President Trump authorized the deployment of military troops to “protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
 (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)

“We won’t be cowed, and we can’t let this president normalize military and armed federal policing in our country. This is not how a healthy democracy works.”

Calling a move by President Donald Trump to deploy National Guard soldiers to the city of Portland, Oregon, completely “unlawful,” state and city officials on Sunday filed a lawsuit to block the effort as they accused the Trump White House of overstepping its authority.

The 41-page federal lawsuit challenging the “unlawful deployment” order was filed in the US District Court of Oregon and names Trump as well as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

A statement from the office of Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield says the lawsuit, backed by Gov. Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson, argues that Trump “lacks authority” under Title 10 of the US code, which only permits federalization of National Guard troops, typically under the command of state governors, “only in circumstance of invasion, rebellion, or when federal laws cannot otherwise be executed. None of those circumstances exist in Oregon.”

The suit, which states that the “heavy-handed deployment of troops threatens to escalate tensions” and foment “new unrest” in the city, asks the court for immediate relief by declaring the Trump administration’s order unlawful and halting any such deployment.

“Oregon communities are stable, and our local officials have been clear: we have the capacity to manage public safety without federal interference,” said Rayfield. “Sending in 200 National Guard troops to guard a single building is not normal.”

“What we’re seeing is not about public safety,” he continued, “it’s about the President flexing political muscle under the guise of law and order, chasing a media hit at the expense of our community.”

The ACLU on Sunday characterized Trump’s claim that Portland was “war-ravaged” as false on its face and condemned the order as illegal and dangerous.

“This major escalation from the President and the federal government has no place in our politics or our communities,” said Sandy Chung, ACLU of Oregon’s executive director. “Oregonians have for months been exercising their constitutional right to criticize cruel federal policies. A forcible deployment of federal troops and armed law enforcement violates our right to govern ourselves and endangers our families and freedoms.”

In a news interview on Sunday, Rayfield denounced the numerous and “absurd” things Trump has both said and done in the name of “public safety” that are wholly counter to what’s needed.

“If you really wanted public safety, you wouldn’t threaten to send the United States military into any city. What you’d do is pick up the phone and work toward collaboration—finding out what resources a community actually needs,” Rayfield said.

“I know for a fact, from talking to cities across Oregon and across the country, that if you pick up the phone and ask, ‘What do you need? What could be helpful?’ The answer would not be the United States military.”

Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, put the situation in Portland in a broader context, as it’s not the first city where Trump has aimed National Guard soldiers, and it’s unlikely to be the last.

“Like for other cities, President Trump’s justification for deploying troops and armed federal agents to Portland is blatantly false and inflammatory, as well as jeopardizes residents’ fundamental liberties,” warned Shamsi.

“After a harrowing week for our First Amendment freedoms, we see the President’s strategy for what it is—an attempt to create conflict where there is none, sow fear in our communities, and intimidate people from exercising their constitutional rights,” she added. “But we won’t be cowed, and we can’t let this president normalize military and armed federal policing in our country. This is not how a healthy democracy works.”

Original article by Jon Queally republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn't bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Donald Fuhrump says that Amerikkka doesn’t bother with crimes or charges anymore, not being 100% Amerikkkan and opposing his real estate intentions is enough.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Orcas discuss how Trump was re-elected and him being an insane, xenophobic Fascist.
Continue ReadingOregon Files Suit Against Trump to Stop ‘Unlawful’ National Guard Deployment

Trial date set for six people charged with alleged Palestine Action support

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/trial-date-set-six-people-charged-alleged-palestine-action-support

 Timothy Crosland leaving the Old Bailey, central London, after his preliminary hearing, September 26 2025

A TRIAL date has been set for six people charged with allegedly organising mass gatherings against the ban on the group Palestine Action.

The charges related to plans for meetings in London, Cardiff and Manchester which were allegedly organised over Zoom in July, August and this month.

Former government lawyer Timothy Crosland, 55, from Southwark, south London; gardener Dawn Manners, 61, from Hackney, east London; David Nixon, 39, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire; student Patrick Friend, 26, of Grange, Edinburgh; Gwen Harrison, 48, from Kendal, Cumbria; and Melanie Griffith, 62, from Southwark, are accused of breaches of the Terrorism Act.

They are accused of allegedly arranging, managing or addressing meetings, knowing that the purpose was to support a proscribed organisation.

Each defendant spoke to confirm their names in the dock during a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey today.

Nixon remained standing in the dock throughout the hearing with his eyes closed and holding a white banner with the words “I oppose genocide, I support Palestine Action.”

The defendants are alleged to be members of a group called Defend Our Juries, or to work closely with it, which opposes the ban on Palestine Action.

…

Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/trial-date-set-six-people-charged-alleged-palestine-action-support

Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine 'Private Eye'.
Palestine Action joke that appeared in the UK satirical magazine ‘Private Eye’.
Keir "I support Zionism without Qualification" Starmer supporting genocide.
Keir “I support Zionism without Qualification” Starmer supporting genocide.
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.
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.
Continue ReadingTrial date set for six people charged with alleged Palestine Action support

How do Britons see Labour, ahead of their 2025 party conference?

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https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/53058-how-do-britons-see-labour-ahead-of-their-2025-party-conference

Public largely see Labour in negative terms, with even Labour voters tending to not trust them in key policy areas

Labour’s annual party conference is kicking off this weekend in Liverpool. There is likely to be a very different tone to last year’s gathering, which was held in the aftermath of their landslide victory at the 2024 general election.

Now, just one in seven Britons (14%) approve of the government’s record to date, while seven in ten (69%) disapprove of Labour’s performance in office. This gives a net approval rating of -55, near identical to the final -56 rating for the previous government last July, just before the Conservatives lost power.

Even among Labour voters, a majority (53%) disapprove of the government, with just 29% feeling positively about the record of the government they elected.

…

Two thirds of Britons (66%) see Labour as out of touch, relative to just 14% seeing them as in touch, while the public believe it’s unclear what the party stands for by a similar ratio (65% vs 16%).

Furthermore, around six in ten Britons describe Labour as weak rather than strong (62% vs 9%), untrustworthy rather than trustworthy (61% vs 14%), and incompetent rather than competent (59% vs 17%). Labour are also twice as likely to be seen as serving their own interests (54%) than trying to do the right thing (25%), or caring about a select few (50%) instead of caring about ordinary people (23%).

…

Original article at https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/53058-how-do-britons-see-labour-ahead-of-their-2025-party-conference

Full results: https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/Internal_LabourTrust_250901.pdf

Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
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.
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.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner are called evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner are called evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.

Continue ReadingHow do Britons see Labour, ahead of their 2025 party conference?

Keir Starmer told scrapping two-child cap on benefits should be ‘bare minimum’ in fight against poverty

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Keir Starmer explains that he feels no shame or guilt benefitting personally from gifts from the rich and powerful while insisting on policies of severe austerity causing suffering and death.
Keir Starmer explains that he feels no shame or guilt benefitting personally from gifts from the rich and powerful while insisting on policies of severe austerity causing suffering and death.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-told-scrapping-two-35965638

[Daily Record] EXCLUSIVE: SNP MP Kirsty Blackman said getting rid of the hated Tory welfare policy should be the “bare minimum – not the height of ambitions”.

The UK Labour Government has been challenged to go “much further” than scrapping the two-child cap on benefits if it wants to reduce number of kids living in poverty.

SNP MP Kirsty Blackman has today written to Keir Starmer to insist getting rid of the hated Tory welfare policy should be the “bare minimum – not the height of ambitions”.

It comes amid rising speculation the Prime Minister may use next week’s UK Labour conference in Liverpool to confirm the two-child cap will finally be ended.

Anti-poverty campaigners and charities have long warned the policy punishes larger families and pushes more youngsters into a life of poverty as a result.

The SNP Government has already commited to mitigating the impact of the welfare cap in Scotland from next March.

In her letter, Blackman said: “Independent analysis shows that if the UK government matched SNP action across the UK, it could lift 2.3million families out of poverty overnight, including a further 96,000 in Scotland.

…

Article continues at https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-told-scrapping-two-35965638

Keir Starmer confirms that he's proud to be a red Tory continuing austerity and targeting poor and disabled scum.
Keir Starmer confirms that he’s proud to be a red Tory continuing austerity and targeting poor and disabled scum.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership all feel a small part of Scunthorpe.
Keir Starmer commits to play the caretaker role for Capitalism through the "hard times".
Keir Starmer commits to play the caretaker role for Capitalism through the “hard times”.
Continue ReadingKeir Starmer told scrapping two-child cap on benefits should be ‘bare minimum’ in fight against poverty