Biden defends controversial autopen use for mass clemency decisions in NYT interview: ‘A whole lot of people’
Former President Joe Biden defended his use of an autopen during a recent interview, shedding light on his administration’s rationale for the controversial use of the technology. The interview with the New York Times was centered around his use of an autopen during the last pardons that he made during the end of his administration. In his final weeks in office, Biden granted clemency and pardoned more than 1,500 individuals, in what the White House described at the time as the largest single-day act of clemency by a U.S. president. Speaking to the Times on Thursday, Biden said that he “made every decision” on his own. HERE ARE BIDEN’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL PARDONS, WITH MOST SIGNED USING AUTOPEN “We’re talking about [granting clemency to] a whole lot of people,” the Democrat said. However, the Times reported that Biden “did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that applied to large numbers of people,” according to the former president and his aides. “Rather, after extensive discussion of different possible criteria, [Biden] signed off on the standards he wanted to be used to determine which convicts would qualify for a reduction in sentence,” the Times’s report read. Instead of repeatedly asking the president to resign updated versions of official documents, his staff used an autopen to put Biden’s signature on the final version. Biden’s comments came as Republicans attacked him for his autopen use on a massive number of official documents. In June, President Donald Trump sent a memo to the Department of Justice directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the autopen use, and to determine whether it was related to a decline in Biden’s mental state. BIDEN ONLY HAND-SIGNED ONE PARDON DURING FINAL SPREE, AND IT WAS HIS MOST CONTROVERSIAL ONE “In recent months, it has become increasingly apparent that former President Biden’s aides abused the power of Presidential signatures through the use of an autopen to conceal Biden’s cognitive decline and assert Article II authority,” Trump wrote. “This conspiracy marks one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history. The American public was purposefully shielded from discovering who wielded the executive power, all while Biden’s signature was deployed across thousands of documents to effect radical policy shifts.” Also in June, Trump told reporters that he thought it was “inappropriate” to use an autopen at all, though past presidents have used them. “Usually, when they put documents in front of you, they’re important,” Trump said. “Even if you’re signing ambassadorships or – and I consider that important, I think it’s inappropriate.” “You have somebody that’s devoting four years of their life or more to being an ambassador. I think you really deserve that person deserves to get a real signature… not an autopen signature.” Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.
DOJ brass vowed full transparency on Epstein before turning up empty-handed
Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino all called for Jeffrey Epstein‘s sex-trafficking secrets to be made public long before the DOJ’s stunning about-face last week. “This systemic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” read a joint memo leaked to Axios a week ago. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” The revelation shocked many MAGA Republicans and Trump supporters, who had for years believed that Epstein was at the heart of a child sex trafficking ring that involved blackmailing prominent movers and shakers worldwide. Many also doubt the government’s finding that Epstein died by his own hand in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019. Trump has since brushed off the Epstein investigation as old news, slamming a reporter who asked about Epstein during a Cabinet meeting last week, and posting a Truth Social message on Saturday defending Bondi for her leadership over the case and claiming that Epstein is “somebody that nobody cares about.” “LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT! The 2020 Election was Rigged and Stolen, and they tried to do the same thing in 2024 — That’s what she is looking into as AG, and much more,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post defending Bondi. “One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it’s the ‘HOTTEST’ Country anywhere in the World. Let’s keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.” MAGA WORLD ERUPTS OVER TRUMP’S DEFENSE OF BONDI AMID EPSTEIN FILES FALLOUT As MAGA supporters continue calling for details on Epstein’s crimes and alleged ties to the world’s elite, Fox News Digital took a look back at what Bondi, Patel and Bongino had to say about Epstein before the anticlimactic memo dropped. Just a couple of weeks after Bondi was sworn in as the nation’s 87th attorney general on Feb. 5, she joined Fox News Channel and touted her mission of transparency, most notably on Epstein, and the assassinations of former President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. “The DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. Will that really happen?” Fox News’ John Roberts asked Bondi in an interview on Feb. 21. “It is sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that. I’m reviewing the JFK files, the MLK files. That is all in the process of being reviewed because that was done at the directive of the president from all these agencies,” Bondi responded. “Have you seen anything that you said, ‘Oh, my gosh?’” Roberts asked. “Not yet,” Bondi responded. Bondi released an initial batch of files on Epstein to a handful of social media personalities in late February, but the packets did not contain new evidence. However, Bondi once again vowed to come through on Trump’s message of transparency on Epstein’s “disgusting actions.” “This Department of Justice is following through on President Trump’s commitment to transparency and lifting the veil on the disgusting actions of Jeffrey Epstein and his co-conspirators,” Bondi said in press release. “The first phase of files released today sheds light on Epstein’s extensive network and begins to provide the public with long overdue accountability.” KASH PATEL TORCHES ‘CONSPIRACY THEORIES’ ABOUT BONDI FEUD AMID MAGA FUROR OVER EPSTEIN FILES The next month, in March, Bondi joined Fox News’ Sean Hannity and said she ordered the FBI to deliver evidence related to Epstein under a firm deadline, claiming a local field office in New York initially withheld evidence on Epstein. “I gave [the FBI] a deadline of Friday at 8 a.m. to get us everything,” Bondi said. “And a source had told me where the documents were being kept, Southern District of New York, shock. So we got them all by Friday at 8 a.m.” “Thousands of pages of documents. I have the FBI going through them… and Director Patel is going to get us a detailed report as to why the FBI withheld all of those documents,” she continued at the time. Bondi again in May fanned the flames of a potential Epstein bombshell when she stated there were no files missing from her investigation and that the DOJ had uncovered tens of thousands of videos showing Epstein with “children and child porn.” “No, the FBI, they’re reviewing tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn,” Bondi told the media in May when asked about the Epstein files. “There are hundreds of victims,” she added. “… The FBI is diligently going through that.” FBI’S DAN BONGINO AND ATTORNEY GENERAL PAM BONDI CLASH OVER HANDLING OF EPSTEIN FILES Bondi was confronted about her February comments on the Epstein files during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where she defended her remarks to Fox News regarding claims that the Epstein files were on her desk and ready for review. “I was asked a question about the client list, and my response was, ‘it’s sitting on my desk to be reviewed,’ meaning the file along with the JFK, MLK files as well,” Bondi responded. “That’s what I meant by that. Also, to the tens of thousands of video, they turned out to be child porn downloaded by that disgusting Jeffrey Epstein,” she continued, saying no such videos would be released or “see the light of day.” Long before Patel was floated and named as Trump’s FBI chief, the longtime opponent of the “Deep State” claimed the FBI was in control of Epstein’s reported client list and said it could be released on Trump’s first day in office via a subpoena. “That’s under direct control of the director of the FBI,” Patel said in 2023 during an interview with BlazeTV’s Glenn Beck. “That’s a thing I think President Trump should run on. On day one, roll out the black book.”
The ‘tough cookies’ of Butler, Pa., remain united, hopeful one year after Trump rally shooting
No one in Butler, Pa. – population 13,000 – ever imagined their quiet community would become the backdrop to an attempted presidential assassination. But on July 13, 2024, gunman Thomas Mathew Crooks opened fire at a rally for once and future President Donald Trump at the local farm showgrounds, a burst of violence that reverberated far beyond western Pennsylvania’s rolling hills and changed the course of American history. One bullet grazed Trump’s ear and could have ended his life had he tilted his head even slightly. In the months that followed, Republicans rallied fiercely behind him. Trump went on to win re-election in a wave of support, with backers, and Trump himself, saying God had spared him to save America. Residents and rally attendees are still stunned that their town became synonymous with the attack, and saddened that Butler’s image as a peaceful farm community has been overshadowed by that dark day. FIRST RESPONDERS SIT DOWN WITH WIDOW OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED AT BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA TRUMP RALLY “For something like this to thrust Butler into the national and the international spotlight, it’s very sad,” J.D. Longo, mayor of Slippery Rock, told Fox News Digital. “It’s not what anybody in Butler or western Pennsylvania wants to be known for,” Longo said. “This is a place where you can start a family if you want to, have a great life.” But most of all, their hearts break for the family of the firefighter who lost his life when Crooks fired eight shots directed at Trump. “Many of us hope that, despite the ugliness and the horror of that day and the obvious loss of life that occurred, by way of losing Corey Comperatore, that Butler County can be remembered more for the way in which we unified immediately following that moment and how we came to the aid and the defense of the Comperatore family and of the president.” TRUMP REVEALS CRUCIAL, SPLIT-SECOND MOMENT THAT SAVED HIS LIFE DURING BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT There is pride in how Butler came together after the tragedy. But some can’t forget why it had to. “It definitely put us in a rough spot,” said Zach Scherer, a Butler local who volunteered for multiple Trump campaigns. “There’s some people here that think about this all the time.” “We feel really bad for Butler,” said Erin Autenreith of Glenshaw, Pennsylvania, a longtime Trump campaign volunteer and rally-goer. “I’ve gone to the farm show for years,” she added, referring to the annual event that draws families from across western Pennsylvania. She described one of her favorite attractions – an area where cows walk in to be milked and a building next door that has vanilla milkshakes made from that milk. “It’s just so wholesome. My husband likes the truck pull,” she said. “It’s always been something we looked forward to, and now it’s tied to this.” REPORT GIVES NEW DETAILS ON TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT SUSPECT’S ‘DESCENT INTO MADNESS’ The Butler Farm Show, which allowed the Trump campaign to use its property for the rally, is also attempting to shake the association with the shooting. Members of the media are not permitted to film on the property. “It’s put a stain on a really nice community,” said Autenreith. “It’s only 45 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. it’s like you’re transformed into, you know, a little bit like, I would say Iowa.” Still, Butler residents say the shooting did not break the community. In the days and weeks after, they pulled together to support the Comperatore family and others affected by the violence. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “The general Pittsburgh area, we’re pretty tough right here – as the president would refer to as tough cookies,” said Bob Crankovic. Lucie Roth, who had been seated just behind Trump at the Butler rally, said she didn’t hesitate to return. “The very next rally that [Trump] had, I was right behind him again.”
Tom Homan slams ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ critics who stayed silent on Biden’s ‘historic migrant deaths’
Border czar Tom Homan slammed lawmakers for criticizing the conditions of “Alligator Alcatraz” — the nation’s newest detention center — while remaining “silent” about the migrant death toll under former President Joe Biden. “Alligator Alcatraz,” which was constructed in the alligator-filled swamplands of the Florida Everglades to deter escapees, has drawn scrutiny over its conditions, remote location and potential environmental impact. Critics have questioned whether the site is safe, humane or appropriate for long-term detention. Homan, however, said the center still meets guidelines under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and maintains the “highest” standards in the industry. “Detainees complain about the conditions of detention,” Homan said during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “You can simply go to ICE.gov and look at the detention standards ICE has. They have the highest detention standards in the industry, but these same congressmen are complaining about ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’” DEM LAWMAKERS TO INSPECT ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ DETENTION CENTER, CITING SAFETY CONCERNS Homan argued that the lawmakers condemning the facility were noticeably absent when migrant deaths surged under the Biden administration. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by Fox News, 856 migrants died attempting to cross the southern border in fiscal year 2022 — the highest number ever recorded at the time. “You didn’t see them complaining about, under Biden administration, people being held in a border patrol parking lot surrounded by a fence and sweltering heat,” Homan said. “They ignored four years of open borders, historic migrant deaths, historic Americans dying from fentanyl, historic numbers of women and children being sex trafficked.” TRUMP SAYS ONLY WAY OUT OF ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ’ IS DEPORTATION The border czar claimed that half a million children were trafficked into the country during Biden’s presidency — a crisis he said was not criticized heavily — and asserted that the administration under President Donald Trump has done more to locate those children. “You didn’t hear a word about half a million children being trafficked in the country and them not being able to locate 300,000,” Homan said. “President Trump, this administration, is finding thousands of those children.” SELF-DEPORT OR END UP IN ‘ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ,’ NOEM WARNS MIGRANTS DURING TRUMP VISIT Homan said lawmakers who failed to push for stronger border security remained “silent because they’re complicit” in the crises that unfolded under the Biden administration. “You can’t have strong national security in this country if we don’t have border security,” Homan said. “We got to know who’s coming in, what’s coming, where it’s coming from. But, instead, they kept silent and they kept feeding the American people.” Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Andrew Cuomo to run as independent for New York City mayor: report
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo intends to run as an independent in New York City’s mayoral race after suffering a double-digit defeat to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani in the recent Democratic primary. Cuomo’s anticipated run, reported by NewsNation, where his brother Chris is an anchor, would pit him against incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who switched this year to running as an independent, Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman, and Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee. Cuomo plans to ask all candidates not leading the mayoral race by mid-September to vow to drop out, NewsNation reported. A spokesman for Andrew Cuomo said there will be an official announcement soon. Cuomo remained on the ballot after the primary as an independent, but he left open questions about whether he planned to actively campaign. “I want to look at all the numbers as they come in and analyze the rank choice voting,” Cuomo said as the primary drew to a close. “I will then consult with my colleagues on what is the best path for me to help the City of New York, as I have already qualified to run for mayor on an independent line in November.” REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS SOCIALIST CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS Mamdani’s upset victory put Democrats in the precarious position of rallying behind a candidate who has promoted controversial positions that include raising income taxes on the city’s top earners, installing government-run grocery stores, and using public funds to make childcare universal. CUOMO STAYING IN NYC MAYOR’S RACE FOR NOW, FOLLOWING STUNNING SETBACK TO MAMDANI IN PRIMARY: SOURCES Mamdani, who is Muslim, has also drawn scrutiny for his vehement opposition to Israel, a key Middle East ally for the United States. Cuomo set himself apart from Mamdani during the primary race by advocating for Israel and garnering support from pro-Israel donors. Mamdani is backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and recently secured an endorsement from Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., an influential Dominican American in the city. The mayoral candidate has also been courting New York labor and teachers unions, some of which have signaled support for him. Three polls conducted in the past two weeks show Cuomo trailing Mamdami and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa and Adams in a close race for third and fourth. Cuomo served three terms as governor of New York but his scandal-plagued tenure, which included numerous sexual harassment claims, led him to resign in 2021. Cuomo denied wrongdoing but apologized for making people feel “uncomfortable.” He also faced criticism from Republicans for allegedly botching information about COVID-19 deaths in his state.
Noem says criticism of federal response to Texas flooding is ‘all politics’: ‘Disservice to our country’
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday said criticisms over the federal response to the deadly flooding in Texas were politically motivated, calling one Democratic lawmaker’s accusations “absolutely despicable.” Noem appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” where she defended against claims that the FEMA response was delayed, and the assertion from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., that President Donald Trump and Noem fired FEMA employees as flood victims called the agency. “You know, this memo and this criticism, I think, is all politics because I was there,” Noem said. “I was there and every time somebody asked for something, we said, absolutely, it’ll be here as soon as possible and it’ll be done.” Noem said that she and over 700 FEMA workers were in the area within hours of a call with Texas officials. The Coast Guard also immediately deployed following the call, she added. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TEXAS FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE ‘FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT’ FROM BIDEN’S APPROACH: NOEM The July Fourth floods killed at least 129 people in central Texas. Authorities believe more than 160 people may still be missing in Kerr County. The secretary said this operation was “the fastest in history that FEMA has ever responded to a disaster” and, unlike FEMA’s poor track record under the Biden administration, this time FEMA “operated how President Trump wanted it to operate.” “I’m very proud of the fact that we didn’t go there and manage it,” she said. “We went there and allowed the local officials to manage it, to run it. The state did a fantastic job. We’re there to support and give them what resources they need.” NOEM RIPS CNN REPORT CLAIMING SHE DELAYED DHS RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOOD AS ‘ABSOLUTELY TRASH’ When asked about Murphy’s claims about victims’ calls to FEMA going unanswered in the days following the deadly flooding due to firings, Noem called his words “an absolute lie.” “That’s what I think is so disingenuous and horrible about the situation. Nobody was fired, no contracts were ended, everybody was there answering calls and doing all they could to help the people of Texas,” Noem said. “So the fact that Democrats are politicizing this while people are still looking for their babies, they’re still looking for their family members, I think it’s absolutely despicable.” Noem said Americans “need to know the truth” of how Democrats are “taking advantage of this situation to help themselves politically.” “It’s a disservice not just to the people of Texas and these families that are going through grief right now, it’s a disservice to our country,” she said. Fox News Digital reached out to Murphy’s office for comment on Noem’s remarks, but they did not immediately respond. Noem was also asked about a federal judge issuing a temporary restraining order against many of the ICE operations that have been carried out in Southern California.She called the judge’s ruling “ridiculous” and said the federal government will appeal. “We always built our operations, our investigations on casework, on knowing individuals that we needed to target because they were criminals, because they had conducted violent crimes against individuals in their communities or had overstayed their orders, had violated federal laws, and that is always how this is done,” Noem said.
AOC should be sued ‘into bankruptcy’ over latest attack on Trump, stunned critics seethe
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is being accused of defaming President Donald Trump by calling him a “rapist” on social media amid controversy over the Department of Justice’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. The far-left Democrat, who has traded barbs with Trump repeatedly across both of their political careers, weighed in on the current controversy surrounding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his New York City jail cell in 2019 after facing federal charges related to child sex trafficking. “Wow who would have thought that electing a rapist would have complicated the release of the Epstein Files?” Ocasio-Cortez posted to X on Friday. She appeared to be referencing the 2023 civil trial leveled against Trump by writer E. Jean Carroll. A jury found Trump liable of sexual assault, but not of rape, which critics of Ocasio-Cortez repeatedly cited in their condemnation of her use of the word “rapist.” The comments came after the Trump Department of Justice said there is no list of Epstein clients. But Trump supporters and legal experts alike warned AOC to lawyer up after dropping the “R” bomb. “The President should sue AOC into bankruptcy. I realize she’s trying to raise her profile but this is way way too far,” legal analyst Phil Holloway posted to X on Saturday in response to a message from Ocasio-Cortez. ‘I’M JUST A SILLY GIRL’: AOC FIRES BACK AFTER TRUMP CALLS HER ‘STUPID’ “Even under the ridiculously lenient standards of NY Times v. Sullivan, you’ve managed to incur defamation liability Wow,” Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee posted to X in response. “Why didn’t you guys release the Epstein files over the last 4 years? Maybe you were too busy covering for Joe Biden… or, could it have something to do with another former Democrat President?” Oklahoma Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin posted in response to Ocasio-Cortez. APPEALS COURT DEALS TRUMP BLOW IN CHALLENGE TO E JEAN CARROLL VERDICT “Well we have grounds for a huge defamation suit here you idiot because Donald Trump has never been indicted for rape much less convicted,” host of YourVoice America Bill Mitchell posted to X. “You realize your X account doesn’t carry the same protections to defame people that you enjoy during congressional proceedings?” another X account posted. Other critics of the lawmaker’s message said the use of the word “rapist” comes on the heels of ABC paying Trump $15 million, which will go toward funding his presidential library, over George Stephanopoulos’ claim in March of last year that Trump was found civilly liable of rape in the E. Jean Carroll case. Trump has repeatedly denied even knowing Carroll, claiming she made false allegations that he raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s in an effort to sell books decades later. “Donald Trump has not been criminally convicted of being a rapist. This is defamatory. And I hope you are sued by Trump for this the same way George Stephanopoulos was sued and forced to pay Trump $15 million dollars. I hope you have millions ready for Trump, Porky. @AOC,” Trump ally Laura Loomer posted in response to Ocasio-Cortez. ‘GONE TOO FAR’: GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND TRUMP AFTER MUSK RAISES EPSTEIN ALLEGATIONS “This is gonna be fun. AOC is so dumb she just called Trump a rapist – after ABC was forced to fork over $16 million in a settlement with Trump after George Stephanopoulos called him a rapist,” Townhall contributor Rachel Alexander posted to X. In March 2024, Stephanopoulos asserted in a tense interview with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace that Trump was found “liable for rape” in a civil case. Stephanopoulos showed a clip of Mace discussing being a victim of rape before he asked her, “How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw?” “You’ve endorsed Donald Trump for president. Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape,” Stephanopoulos said, alluding to the legal victory by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. AOC TAUNTS TOM HOMAN AFTER DOJ REFERRAL THREAT OVER DEPORTATIONS: ‘COME FOR ME’ Stephanopoulos repeated the claim on rape 10 times during the interview, Fox Digital previously reported, before Trump filed a defamation suit. ABC News and Stephanopoulos reached a settlement agreement with Trump’s legal team ahead of his second inauguration, paying $15 million and announcing the network and anchor “regret” the comments made on air. “Editor’s Note: ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC’s This Week on March 10, 2024,” an editor’s note in an article focused on the interview states. Other social media commenters defended Ocasio-Cortez‘s use of the word “rapist,” arguing she did not use Trump’s name in her post and that a defamation case was unlikely. Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office on Sunday for additional comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a reply. “AOC likes to play pretend like she’s from the block, but in reality she’s just a sad, miserable blockhead who is trying to over-compensate for her lack of self-confidence that has followed her for her entire life,” White House communication director Steven Cheung said in comment provided to Fox News Digital on Sunday. “Instead, she should get some serious help for her obvious and severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted her pea-sized brain,” he added.
Canadian universities too should be in Francesca Albanese’s report
“Universities worldwide, under the guise of research neutrality, continue to profit from an [Israeli] economy now operating in genocidal mode. Indeed, they are structurally dependent on settler-colonial collaborations and funding.” This is what United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese wrote in her latest report “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide”, which documents the financial tentacles of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and beyond. Its release prompted the United States’ governing regime to issue sanctions against Albanese in a move the Italian legal scholar rightly described as “obscene” and “mafia intimidation tactics”. The report reveals how universities not only invest their endowments in corporations linked to Israel’s war machine, but also engage in directly or support research initiatives that contribute to it. It is not only a damning indictment of the complicity of academia in genocide, but also a warning to university administrations and academics that they hold legal responsibility. In Israel, Albanese observes, traditional humanities disciplines such as law, archaeology, and Middle Eastern studies essentially launder the history of the Nakba, reframing it through colonial narratives that erase Palestinian histories and legitimise an apartheid state that has transitioned into what she describes as a “genocidal machine”. Likewise, STEM disciplines engage in open collaborations with military industrial corporations, such as Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, IBM, and Lockheed Martin, to facilitate their research and development. Advertisement In the United States, Albanese writes, research is funded by the Israeli Defence Ministry and conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with various military applications, including drone swarm control. In the United Kingdom, she highlights, the University of Edinburgh has 2.5 percent of its endowment invested in companies that participate in the Israeli military industrial complex. It also has partnerships with Ben-Gurion University and with companies supporting Israeli military operations. While Canadian institutions do not appear in Albanese’s report, they very easily could and, indeed, we argue, should. Canada’s flagship school, the University of Toronto (UofT), where one of us teaches and another is an alumnus, is a particularly salient example. Over the past 12 years, the UofT’s entanglements with Israeli institutions have snowballed, stretching across fields from the humanities to cybersecurity. They also involve Zionist donors (both individuals and groups), many of whom have ties with complicit corporations and Israeli institutions, and have actively interfered with university hiring practices to an extent that has drawn censure from the Canadian Association of University Teachers. This phenomenon must be understood in the context of the defunding of public higher education, which forces universities to seek private sources of funding and opens up universities to donor interference. After calls for cutting such ties intensified amid the genocide, the UofT doubled down on them over the past year, advertising artificial intelligence-related partnerships with Technion University in Haifa, joint calls for proposals with various Israeli universities, and student exchange programmes in Israel. The UofT also continues to fundraise for its “Archaeology of Israel Trust”, which was set up to make a “significant contribution to the archaeology of Israel” – a discipline that has historically focused on legitimising the Israeli dispossession of the Palestinian people. It also inaugurated a new lab for the study of global anti-Semitism, which is funded by the University of Toronto-Hebrew University of Jerusalem Research & Innovation Alliance. In addition to institutional partnerships, UofT’s Asset Management Corporation (UTAM), which manages the university’s endowment, has direct connections with many companies that are, as per Albanese’s report, complicit in the genocide in Palestine, including Airbnb, Alphabet Inc, Booking Holdings, Caterpillar, Elbit Systems, Leonardo, Lockheed Martin, and Palantir Technologies. Advertisement A 2024 report found that 55 of these companies operate “in the military-affiliated defence, arms, and aerospace sectors” and at least 12 of UTAM’s 44 contracted investment managers have made investments totalling at least $3.95 billion Canadian dollars ($2.88bn) in 11 companies listed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as supporters of the construction and expansion of illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories. Furthermore, 17 of UTAM’s 44 contracted investment managers are responsible for managing around $15.79 billion Canadian dollars ($11.53bn) in assets invested in 34 companies identified by The American Friends Service Committee as benefiting from the ongoing genocide in Gaza. UofT is not unique among Canadian universities in this regard. According to a report on university divestment, Western University, too, promotes ongoing partnerships with Ben-Gurion University and invests more than $16m Canadian dollars ($11.6m) in military contractors and nearly $50 million Canadian dollars ($36.5) in companies directly complicit in the occupation of Palestine and the genocide of Palestinians. The list of complicit companies again includes Lockheed Martin, as well others listed by Albanese like Chevron, Booking Holdings, Airbnb, and Microsoft. McGill University, another top Canadian university, has also invested in Lockheed Martin, as well as notable military industrial companies like Airbus, BAE Systems, Safran, and Thales, which have also been accused of providing weapons and components to Israel. In the context of the ongoing genocide, students, staff, and faculty at such complicit universities – including at each of our respective institutions – have been demanding that their universities boycott and divest from Israel and companies profiting from its warfare. They are not only explicitly in the right according to international law, but are actually articulating the basic legal responsibility and requirement borne by all corporate entities. And yet, for raising this demand, they have been subjected to all manner of discipline and punishment. What Albanese’s report lays bare is that university administrators – like other corporate executives – are subject to and, frankly, should fear censure under international law. She writes, “Corporations must respect human rights even if a State where they operate does not, and they may be held accountable even if they have complied with the domestic laws where they operate. In other words, compliance with domestic laws does not preclude/is not a defence to responsibility or liability.” This means that those administrating universities in Canada and around the world who have refused to divest and disentangle
Syria says wildfires in northwest Latakia province contained after 10 days
The fires were contained with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi firefighting teams. Wildfires in northwestern Syria, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, have been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement posted on Facebook on Sunday, the civil defence agency said, “with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts”, teams on the ground are working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition. The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out on July 3 amid an intense heatwave across the region, which also affected the Dortyol district and neighbouring Turkiye. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it destroyed about 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) of forest and farmland. As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers not only had to use outdated equipment but also contend with high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants. This all comes in a country worn down by years of conflict and economic crisis, nearly seven months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad and the installation of a transitional government led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the now-disbanded armed group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. In a post on X, Raed al-Saleh, Syria’s minister for emergencies and disaster management, said civil defence and firefighting teams “managed to halt the spread of the fire on all fronts” with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi teams. Advertisement Turkiye earlier sent two firefighting aircraft to help battle the blazes. Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched, according to al-Saleh. “Firefighting teams are intensively working to extinguish remaining hotspots and cool the areas already put out. The situation is moving toward containment followed by comprehensive cooling operations,” said al-Saleh. “There are still threats due to wind activity, but we are working to prevent any renewed fire expansion.” Authorities have not reported any casualties, but several towns in Latakia province were evacuated as a precaution. With human-induced climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall. In June, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said Syria has “not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years”. Adblock test (Why?)
Marc Marquez wins chaotic German MotoGP at Sachsenring
Marc Marquez stages a lights-to-flag victory to record his ninth German MotoGP victory as podium contenders crash out. Marc Marquez proved once again why he is known as the “King of Sachsenring” when the Ducati rider marked his 200th MotoGP start by winning the German Grand Prix in a race that became a test of survival after only 10 of 18 riders finished. Marquez’s ninth MotoGP victory at the Sachsenring stretched his championship lead over brother Alex, who finished second, to 83 points while Marc’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished third to sit 147 points behind. Alex Marquez had started fifth on the grid and took second in his 100th MotoGP start despite still recovering from a fractured hand he suffered at the Dutch Grand Prix two weeks ago, which required surgery. Several riders crashed over the course of the race, especially at turn one – including VR46 Racing’s Fabio Di Giannantonio and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi when they were in second place. But the day belonged to Marc Marquez as he marked his latest triumph at his favourite hunting ground by standing on his bike and doing a jig as he passed the chequered flag – a fourth straight weekend where he had won both the sprint and the race. “One more [win at the Sachsenring] was super special. From the beginning, I felt good, the confidence when I started the weekend was super high because we were coming from three victories in a row,” he said. “We are in an incredible moment. Now we can say that half the season is done. Now [the second] half we still need to be super concentrated.” Marco Bezzecchi of Italy riding the Aprilia Racing bike crashes out during the the MotoGP of Germany [Goose Photography/Getty Images] More riders fall in the challenging conditions Pedro Acosta became the third rider to crash early on after Lorenzo Savadori and Miguel Oliveira, with the young Spaniard gesturing at his fallen machine in frustration. Di Giannantonio had broken the lap record in Friday’s practice and given Marc Marquez a tough time early in the sprint race on Saturday. But the Italian was unable to push any harder to catch up to Marquez, who found a comfortable rhythm and pace to surge more than two seconds ahead despite easing off the throttle on two laps to conserve his tyres. As Marquez’s lead stretched to more than three seconds, Di Giannantonio’s challenge came to an end on the downhill braking zone on turn one when he lost control and crashed, with his bike tumbling across the gravel while he escaped unhurt. LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco, who started second on the grid before getting pushed down the order, crashed at the same turn seconds later. Bezzecchi had moved up to second, but the Aprilia rider also bit the dust on the very next lap at turn one, moving Alex Marquez up to second while Bagnaia suddenly found himself in the podium positions. The crashes did not end there as Trackhouse Racing’s Ai Ogura lost his balance on turn one and ended up taking out Honda’s Joan Mir in the process, leaving only 10 of the 18 starters. Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo finished fourth ahead of Alex Marquez’s Gresini Racing teammate Fermin Aldeguer. Ducati’s Marc Marquez during the German MotoGP [Ronny Hartmann/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)