Donald Trump

Trump Knesset speech displays complete US backing of Israel

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Original article by Natalia Marques republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

Trump embraces Netanyahu in the Knesset (Photo via the White House)

Trump stirred controversy in several off-script moments in his address to the Israeli Knesset, including spotlighting a top pro-Israel donor

US President Donald Trump spoke in the Israeli parliament on October 13 amid the implementation of the Israeli-Hamas ceasefire deal he helped broker – labeling the deal as a “historic dawn for the Middle East.” 

Trump attempted to position himself not only as a behind-the-scenes mediator, but as a central actor in shaping post-war Gaza and the region as a whole. “Israel, with our help, has won all that they can by force of arms,” Trump proclaimed. “Now it’s time to translate these victories against terrorists on the battlefield into the ultimate prize of peace and prosperity for the entire Middle East.”

Several unscripted moments of US President Donald Trump’s speech at the Israeli Knesset have become the subject of controversy, highlighting the unconventional diplomatic relationship between Israel and the US. 

In an extraordinary intrusion into Israeli domestic politics, Trump went off script and urged Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges. 

“Cigars and champagne, who the hell cares about this?” Trump proclaimed, referring to Netanyahu’s charges of fraud and breach of trust. 

Trump claimed that Netanyahu is “a very popular man” because he knows “how to win.” A Maariv poll from last month revealed that a majority – 52% – of Israelis do not trust Netanyahu as Prime Minister. However, polling by the Israeli Democracy Institute reveals that a majority of Israelis also support a hostage deal with Hamas that leads to a full withdrawal of forces, indicating that the recent ceasefire deal may boost support for Netanyahu.

Trump’s speech at the Knesset comes the same day that Israel freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners as part of the Israeli-Hamas hostage exchange. Before the ceasefire deal, there were about 10,400 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian prisoners’ rights group Addameer.

Trump shines spotlight on pro-Israel lobby

In a separate controversial moment, Trump singled out one of his major donors, Israeli-American Miriam Adelson, who was in the audience at the Knesset. Adelson donated USD 106 million to Trump’s super PAC, which helped fundraise for his reelection last year. 

“Look at her, sitting there so innocently,” Trump said, pointing Adelson out. “She’s got 60 billion in the bank.”

Trump continued: “I’m gonna get her in trouble with this, but I actually asked her once, I said, ‘So, Miriam, I know you love Israel. What do you love more, the United States or Israel?’ She refused to answer.”

“That might mean Israel,” Trump said, before laughing.

Trump’s commentary on Adelson, who was awarded a Presidential of Medal of Honor by Trump during his first term, has inadvertently shined a spotlight on the ultra-powerful pro-Israel lobby in US politics. 

Some have noted the pattern of Trump saying “the quiet part out loud” throughout his political career. US law professor and public commentator Jody David Armour wrote on X that Trump “regularly just spills the beans on how US policy actually works,” in response to the president’s Adelson comments. 

“He might have been a bit too frank for her tastes. She looked uncomfortable,” remarked Electronic Intifada journalist Asa Winstanley on X. 

Independent journalist Sam Husseini summarized Trump’s comments as “she bribed me and she loves Israel more than the US.”

A major part of the recent resurgence of the Palestine solidarity movement in the past two years has been shining a light on the pro-Israeli influence in US politics. 

“By his own admission, the president of the United States is acting on the wishes of his top donors” like Adelson, wrote the account “AIPAC Out of US Politics” on social media. AIPAC Out of US Politics is a grassroots campaign recently launched by pro-Palestine activists in the United States, aiming to spotlight the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest pro-Israel lobbying group in the US. 

Quinnipiac University polling from September revealed that the share of registered US voters who believe that backing Israel aligns with their country’s national interests has dropped sharply over the 21 months of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza. Less than half of voters say they believe support for Israel aligns with US national interests, a sharp drop from 67% in December.

Original article by Natalia Marques republished from peoples dispatch under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.

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.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingTrump Knesset speech displays complete US backing of Israel

Labour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows

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https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/16/uk-labour-ministers-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-analysis

Fossil fuel lobbyists attended almost every government meeting about a temporary windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas companies’ ‘extraordinary profits’. Photograph: Nature Picture Library/Alamy

Lobbyists attended 48% more meetings than Tories, as Labour accused of giving them ‘backstage pass’

Government ministers met representatives from the fossil fuel industry more than 500 times during their first year in power – equivalent to twice every working day, according to research.

The analysis found that fossil fuel lobbyists were present at 48% more ministerial meetings during Labour’s first year in power than under the Conservatives in 2023.

The government defended the meetings, saying ministers held meetings with a wide range of representatives from “the energy industry, unions and civil society to drive forward our clean energy superpower mission”.

The findings have raised concern among critics about the extent of the fossil fuel industry’s influence over government at a time when ministers are trying to lower bills and transition to a more sustainable energy system.

A report from the International Energy Agency in 2023 found that fossil fuel companies still had “minimal” engagement with the global clean energy transition, contributing just 1% of clean energy investment globally.

…

Article continues at https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/oct/16/uk-labour-ministers-fossil-fuel-lobbyists-analysis

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.

Continue ReadingLabour ministers met fossil fuel lobbyists 500 times in first year of power, analysis shows

Government told to prepare for 2C warming by 2050

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24kllyye1o

Getty Images

The UK should be prepared to cope with weather extremes as a result of at least 2C of global warming by 2050, independent climate advisers have said.

The country was “not yet adapted” to worsening weather extremes already occurring at current levels of warming, “let alone” what was expected to come, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) wrote in a letter addressed to the government.

The committee said they would advise that the UK prepare for climate change beyond the long-term temperature goal set out in the Paris Agreement.

The letter came as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) confirmed that 2024 had seen a record rise of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.

CO2 is the gas mainly responsible for human-caused climate change and is released when fossil fuels are burnt, as well as other activities.

The CCC’s letter came after it had been asked to provide advice on a timeframe for setting adaption scenarios, based on “minimum climate scenarios”.

…

The increase of CO2 in the atmosphere between 2023 and 2024 was the largest since modern measurements started in the late 1950s, the WMO said.

This follows findings first reported by the Met Office in January.

“The heat trapped by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is turbo-charging our climate and leading to more extreme weather,” said WMO Deputy Secretary-General Ko Barrett.

“Reducing emissions is therefore essential not just for our climate but also for our economic security and community well-being,” she added.

…

Original article at https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24kllyye1o

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Continue ReadingGovernment told to prepare for 2C warming by 2050

The climate crisis is fuelling extreme fires across the planet

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Neo-Fascist Climate Science Denier Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.
Neo-Fascist Climate Science Denier Donald Trump says Burn, Baby, Burn.

Hamish Clarke, The University of Melbourne

We’ve all seen the alarming images. Smoke belching from the thick forests of the Amazon. Spanish firefighters battling flames across farmland. Blackened celebrity homes in Los Angeles and smoked out regional towns in Australia.

If you felt like wildfires and their impacts were more extreme in the past year – you’re right. Our new report, a collaboration between scientists across continents, shows climate change supercharged the world’s wildfires in unpredictable and devastating ways.

Human-caused climate change increased the area burned by wildfires, called bushfires in Australia, by a magnitude of 30 in some regions in the world. Our snapshot offers important new evidence of how climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme fires. And it serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The evidence is clear – climate change is making fires worse.

An aerial view of the Palisades fire zone in Los Angeles, showing burned building foundations.
A view of the Palisades fire zone in Los Angeles, where climate change fuelled the fires in January. Allen J. Schaben/Getty

Clear pattern

Our study used satellite observations and advanced modelling to find and investigate the causes of wildfires in the past year. The research team considered the role that climate and land use change played, and found a clear interrelationship between climate and extreme events.

Regional experts provided local input to capture events and impacts that satellites did not pick up. For Oceania, this role was played by Dr Sarah Harris from the Country Fire Authority and myself.

In the past year, a land area larger than India – about 3.7 million square kilometres – was burnt globally. More than 100 million people were affected by these fires, and US$215 billion worth of homes and infrastructure were at risk.

Not only does the heating climate mean more dangerous, fire-prone conditions, but it also affects how vegetation grows and dries out, creating fuel for fires to spread.

In Australia, bushfires did not reach the overall extent or impact of previous seasons, such as the Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20. Nonetheless, more than 1,000 large fires burned around 470,000 hectares in Western Australia, and more than 5 million hectares burned in central Australia. In Victoria, the Grampians National Park saw two-thirds of its area burned.

In the United States, our analysis showed the deadly Los Angeles wildfires in January were twice as likely and burned an area 25 times bigger than they would have in a world without global warming. Unusually wet weather in Los Angeles in the preceding 30 months contributed to strong vegetation growth and laid the foundations for wildfires during an unusually hot and dry January.

In South America, fires in the Pantanal-Chiquitano region, which straddles the border between Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, were 35 times larger due to climate change. Record-breaking fires ravaged parts of the Amazon and Congo, releasing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.

A man and woman hold cardboard signs with words and images protesting the burning of the Amazon forest.
Protestors march for climate justice and against wild fires affecting the entire country in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Faga Almeida/Getty

Not too late

It’s clear that if global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, more severe heatwaves and droughts will make landscape fires more frequent and intense worldwide.

But it’s not too late to act. We need stronger and faster climate action to cut fossil fuel emissions, protect nature and reduce land clearing.

And we can get better at responding to the risk of fires, from nuanced forest management to preparing households and short and long-term disaster recovery.

There are regional differences in fires, and so the response also need to be local. We should prioritise local and regional knowledge, and First Nations knowledge, in responding to bushfire.

Action at COP30

Fires emitted more than 8 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2024–25, about 10% above the average since 2003. Emissions were more than triple the global average in South American dry forests and wetlands, and double the average in Canadian boreal forests. That’s a deeply concerning amount of greenhouse pollution. The excess emissions alone exceeded the national fossil fuel CO₂ emissions of more than 200 individual countries in 2024.

Next month, world leaders, scientists, non-governmental organisations and civil society will head to Belem in Brazil for the United Nations annual climate summit (COP30) to talk about how to tackle climate change.

The single most powerful contribution developed nations can make to avoid the worst impacts of extreme wildfires is to commit to rapidly cutting greenhouse gas emissions this decade.

Hamish Clarke, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Met Office: Severe heatwaves and droughts are making extreme wildfires more frequent and intense worldwide

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.

Continue ReadingThe climate crisis is fuelling extreme fires across the planet

Our world is hurtling into climate disaster and what do politicians give us? Oilfields and new runways

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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/30/climate-disaster-oilfields-runways-pragmatism-emissions

Fossil Free London protesters on Westminster Bridge, London, demonstrate against drilling at the UK’s largest untapped oilfield, 16 July 2025. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

…

The excuse most often provided for turning away from green measures, for expanding fossil fuel production, for ignoring the science, is pragmatism. The idea being that, yes, the climate emergency is serious, but we have to be practical – we have to consider other things too, inevitably ensuring business as usual, protecting the bottom line and keeping consumer capitalism in the fast lane. The fact is that this is dangerous drivel. Pragmatism is only possible when feasible alternatives are available. Where climate breakdown is concerned, there is no alternative. The climate doesn’t recognise pragmatism. We either slash emissions now or we are in deep, deep trouble.

In 2024, the temperature of the planet topped the 1.5C temperature-rise threshold for the first time (since preindustrial times), and according to the UK Met Office, there is a 70% chance that the average temperature rise over the next five years will be above this. A recent report by the UK Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and Exeter University forecasts that a 2C global temperature hike by 2050 would see a 25% collapse in the global economy and 2 billion people dead. This is what the end game of a “pragmatic” climate strategy looks like.

We can no longer pretend that we are sleepwalking into climate catastrophe. We are doing it consciously, with our eyes wide open, and hang the consequences. The truth is that on a rapidly heating planet, a pragmatic approach means that we are playing Russian roulette with all six barrels loaded. The only question is just how big a mess we will make when we pull the trigger.

  • Bill McGuire is professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL and author of Hothouse Earth: an Inhabitant’s Guide

See the original article at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/30/climate-disaster-oilfields-runways-pragmatism-emissions

Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Nigel Farage urges you to ignore facts and reality and be a climate science denier like him and his Deputy Richard Tice. He says that Reform UK has received £Millions and £Millions from the fossil fuel industry to promote climate denial and destroy the planet.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Donald Trump urges you to be a Climate Science denier like him. He says that he makes millions and millions for destroying the planet, Burn, Baby, Burn and Flood, Baby, Flood.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.

Continue ReadingOur world is hurtling into climate disaster and what do politicians give us? Oilfields and new runways