Blog

‘Predators’: Amnesty slams Netanyahu, Putin, Trump as human rights decline

The heads of Israel, Russia and the United States are leading the destruction of global human rights, Amnesty International has said, describing them as “voracious predators” intent upon economic and political domination.

“A global environment where primitive ferocity could flourish has been long in the making,” Agnes Callamard, the head of the global rights group, wrote in an annual report on the state of the world’s human rights that was released on Tuesday.

In 2025, “sharp U-turns were taken away from the international order that had been imagined out of the ashes of the Holocaust and the utter destruction of world wars, and constructed slowly and painfully, albeit insufficiently, over these past 80 years,” she said.

In a news conference on Monday in London, Callamard said that most governments tend to appease the “predators” rather than confront them.

“Some even thought to imitate the bullies and the looters,” she said.

Spain, however, which is an outlier in Europe for its criticism of Israel’s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and US-Israeli attacks on Iran, “is standing above the double standard that is destroying the international system”, Callamard said.

She argued that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, who in 2022 sent his forces into neighbouring Ukraine, have had an “absolutely dramatic” impact on the world.

Their conduct is “emboldening all of those that are tempted by similar behaviours,” said Callamard. “It is allowing for the multiplication of copycats around the world, and therefore what we are confronting now is much more aggressive and ferocious than what we had to confront three or four years ago.”

Keep reading

Washington pastor accused of using AI to create sexually explicit images of real children

A pastor and educator in southeastern Washington state was arrested after allegedly using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create sexually explicit images of real children.

Kevin Johnson, 54, has been charged with four felony counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He worked as a lead pastor of Impact Church in Pasco and as a paraeducator at Cottonwood Elementary School in nearby Kennewick, according to his Linkedin account.

Johnson pleaded not guilty during an April 10 court appearance, according to NonStop Local, a network of NBC affiliates in the area. During the hearing, prosecutors said they had identified two victims.

“Law enforcement is still working on processing through the defendant’s devices but as of this time have identified an additional victim of which the defendant had generated AI child sexual abuse material,” a prosecutor said at the hearing, NonStop Local reported.

The Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a law enforcement collaboration in southeast Washington led the investigation. Google had flagged suspected child sexual abuse material that had been uploaded to an online platform, according to the Richland Police Department. 

Keep reading

British universities paid security firm to ‘spy’ on pro-Palestine students

Twelve British universities paid a private firm run by former military intelligence officials to “spy” on student protesters and academics, including those who have expressed solidarity with Palestine, it can be revealed.

A joint investigation by Al Jazeera English and Liberty Investigates has uncovered evidence that Horus Security Consultancy Limited trawled through student social media feeds and conducted secret counter-terror threat assessments on behalf of some of Britain’s most elite institutions.

Horus, which describes itself as a “leading intelligence” firm, has been paid at least 440,000 pounds ($594,000) by universities since 2022.

Among those monitored were a Palestinian academic invited to give a guest lecture at Manchester Metropolitan University and a pro-Gaza PhD student at the London School of Economics, according to internal documents.

In October 2024, the University of Bristol provided the firm with a list of student protest groups it wished to receive alerts about, an internal university email suggests. It included pro-Palestinian and animal rights activists.

In total, 12 universities paid the firm to monitor campus protest activity. Others include the University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), King’s College London (KCL), the University of Sheffield, the University of Leicester, the University of Nottingham and Cardiff Metropolitan University.

There is no suggestion that this activity is illegal.

These findings have come to light after Al Jazeera English and Liberty Investigates submitted freedom of information (FOI) requests to more than 150 universities.

All the institutions named in this article were approached for comment by Al Jazeera and Liberty Investigates.

The University of Oxford, UCL, KCL, the University of Leicester and the University of Nottingham did not respond to requests for comment.

Keep reading

‘Iran’s Enemy is Our Enemy: Russia Detains 40 Israelis at Moscow Airport – Report

Israelis Detained at Moscow Airport

Russian authorities detained at least 40 Israeli citizens at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport after their arrival from Tel Aviv, according to official Israeli sources cited in the Times of Israel. 

The outlet reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that the group was held before later being released following diplomatic intervention.

According to reports cited by Times of Israel, the Isreali citizens were detained on suspicion of having connections to Israel’s military aggression against Iran.

Russian security personnel reportedly told detainees that Iran is an ally of Moscow and that anyone who is an enemy of Iran is “our enemy as well.”

Conditions of Detention

The Times of Israel also cited a source cited by the Russian outlet Mediazona, which said that the detainees were interrogated for several hours under these suspicions.

According to the same source, detainees were asked to unlock their mobile phones. When they refused, they were instructed to turn the devices off.

The group reportedly included both Israeli nationals and individuals holding dual citizenship.

They were eventually released after signing documents stating the “inadmissibility of violating the law,” according to the report.

Diplomatic Intervention

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it intervened immediately after learning of the incident.

“Immediately upon learning of the incident, at the instruction of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Foreign Ministry acted both with the foreign ministry in Moscow and with the Russian embassy in Israel,” the ministry said.

“Following this intervention, the incident was resolved, and the Israelis’ entry was approved,” it added.

The ministry also said that Russian authorities were informed that the conduct was “completely unacceptable” and that Israel views the matter seriously.

The detentions come amid heightened geopolitical tensions linked to the war involving Iran, a key ally of Russia.

Keep reading

Tim Kaine Openly Admits Why Democrats Are Really Disenfranching Voters

Last week, far-left Governor Abigail Spanberger officially signed legislation that would enter Virginia into the controversial National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC) and upend the commonwealth’s electoral landscape.

It would hand Democrats a 10-1 advantage in the U.S. House delegation, expanding a 6D–5R delegation into a potential 10 Democrats, 1 Republican dominance.

Virginia becomes the 19th jurisdiction to join the compact, bringing the total to 222 electoral votes, just 48 shy of the 270 needed to activate the plan.

Under the compact, once the 270 threshold is reached:

  • Participating states would award ALL their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner
  • This would apply regardless of how voters in their own state actually voted
  • In effect, state election results could be rendered meaningless

The Democrats’ big-city machines and open-border policies will decide who becomes President.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday and said the quiet part out loud. This move is not about fairness or representing voters, it is about stopping Donald Trump.

Bream stated, “Let’s talk about the last vote there in Virginia, the presidential vote. Vice President Kamala Harris won by about 5 percentage points. So the state is relatively split with a left lean, but 90% of House members from Virginia being from one party?”

Keep reading

No whites allowed: School district sends kids ‘of color’ on cross-country ‘social justice’ field trip

A California school district recently organized a field trip that excluded white students and maintains several other race-based policies, documents reveal.

Albany Unified School District (AUSD) hosted the trip to Virginia for “young men and women of color” to visit Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and discuss issues such as “social justice,” according to documents obtained by parental rights group Defending Education (DE) and shared exclusively with the Daily Caller News Foundation. The trip was approved by the board of education and cost the district $42,845.

“This unique mentoring program encourages Albany High School young men and women of color to develop social, personal, and academic success skills,” the document from the board reads. “Students gather in a safe, supportive, and empowering environment to voice their needs and challenges. The students engage in enriching discussions on social justice, education, leadership, mental well-being, and self-awareness. This mentoring program is transforming the lives of young men and women of color to make a significant global impact in society.”

Along with college tours, students visited the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, the Virginia Civil Rights Memorial and the Black Heritage Trail.

The district maintains several other programs geared specifically toward non-white students and staff, documents show.

AUSD’s 2025-2026 Local Control and Accountability Plan names “Young Men of Color and Young Women of Color Programs” that aim to “provide social emotional supports to most underserved students.” The programs are part of a $1,257,234 “social emotional/mental health” support effort.

The same plan details the district’s intention to provide staff with “professional development” programs centered on “culturally responsive/anti-racist pedagogy.” These teaching practices are necessary to support “student groups who are persistently and historically underserved,” the document states.

Another document from 2026 includes a goal of “Recruit[ing] and Retain[ing] a Diverse, High Quality Staff,” DE found. The Superintendent Report detailed plans to “strengthen inclusive hiring,” expand “equitable recruitment pipelines,” and implement “affinity-based supports.” The report mentioned a “Black Teacher Project” to help in these race-based hiring and retention efforts and suggested the district would track staff demographics as an indicator of success.

AUSD did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

Keep reading

‘Insulting’: AES sent victims’ family $50 gift card, T-shirt in wake of deadly TN explosion, attorney says

Attorneys for the families of two victims in last year’s deadly munitions plant explosion are condemning Accurate Energetic Systems’ “reckless” behavior before the tragedy and the company’s “insulting” response.

In a Thursday press conference, the legal team representing the families of victims Steven Wright and Reyna Gillahan said Accurate Energetic Systems rejected their $150 million pre-litigation demand. Their rejection came 45 minutes before the attorney’s deadline of Monday afternoon.

“We got an announcement of their defense, which their position is that workers’ compensation in Tennessee is the exclusive remedy for any injury in the workplace,” said attorney Darren Richie.

He said that the $150 million demand on a tight deadline may have seemed “outrageous,” but that was intentional.

“I wanted AES to tell me I was being outrageous. So I could turn around to them and tell them, no, your conduct and behavior, AES, is outrageous,” he said.

The press conference offered new insights into AES’s communication with families in the wake of the deadly explosion and how the victims’ loved ones grieve.

WSMV4 has reached out to AES representatives for comment on these accusations.

AES offers victims’ families ‘insulting’ gift card, shirt

So far, AES has done three things for the victims of the people killed after thousands of pounds of explosives detonated at their Hickman County plant: hosted a barbecue food truck event and sent them a $50 Walmart gift card and a T-shirt with a picture of their deceased loved one, according to Richie.

“Needless to say, that’s insulting,” he said on Thursday.

The lawyer also expressed shock that AES has declined to give families the contact information for their insurance.

“That is a professional courtesy that gets exchanged all the time to facilitate resolution of claims. But they denied it. That shows us how they really feel about their employees,” he said.

He said the team plans to file a lawsuit to demand more from AES.

“And besides saying, oh, I’m sorry, providing some barbecue, gift card, and a t-shirt, they’re acting as if nothing happened. And they’re acting as if they don’t bear any responsibility,” he said. “Well, there’s more than a hundred ways that they bear responsibility here. I want them to step up and take responsibility.”

Keep reading

The Globalist Threat

The defeat of Viktor Orban in Hungary previous weekend may have been celebrated in Brussels with their typical propaganda that Orban had established single-party rule in Hungary. The ultimate hypocrisy is that this claimed victory for democracy is celebrating the one-minded globalist party to govern Europe and ultimately the world, which is neither democratic nor accountable to citizens. In Hungary, people could not vote for a leader just the party, but in the EU, Ursula never stood for elections. ever

The people of Hungary did not vote directly for Viktor Orbán. Instead, Hungary operates under a parliamentary system, in which the Prime Minister is elected by Parliament. The President of the European Commission is NOT directly elected by EU citizens in a parliamentary election. The process is a two-step one where the leaders of the member states select a candidate, and then the European Parliament votes to elect them. They are NOT an elected member of Parliament. Viktor Orbán was elected to a seat.

The Ursula Von der Leyen directed the European Union to take sides in the Hungarian election and to undermine Orban, who asserted national priorities in disputes with the EU. The EU Commission rigged the Italian elections staging a coup against Berlusconi in Italy because he too opposed centralized control. Speaking on television, Thierry Breton, former European Commissioner for Internal Market, proclaimed that if the European Commission decides that the election in Germany was in some way influenced by foreign interference had AfD won, they would seek to annul the result of the election in the same way they have just done with the Romanian election. Even the Scottish Independence vote in 2014 was rigged, The people sent in to count the votes were from the EU.

Keep reading

Non-Domiciled CDLs Targeted in a New USPS Policy

USPS Plans to Limit Certain Non-Domiciled CDLs in Contract Operations

The U.S. Postal Service has announced plans to tighten safety rules for trucking companies that move mail and freight under contract with the agency. USPS says it plans to phase out the use of drivers with non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses (CDLs) who have not gone through screening by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The decision connects to wider federal efforts to strengthen roadway safety. It follows a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) interim rule called “Restoring Integrity to the Issuance of Non-Domiciled Commercial Drivers Licenses.” The DOT rule is meant to improve oversight and documentation for drivers who fall under this licensing category.

What This Means for Trucking Safety

Drivers with non-domiciled CDLs are legally allowed to operate commercial vehicles in the United States but are not necessarily U.S. citizens or permanent residents. These licenses have received more federal attention recently due to concerns about how some states handled verification and paperwork.

USPS stated that reducing the number of unvetted drivers with non-domiciled CDLs in its contracted network may support stronger safety control. The agency said extending additional screening could improve accountability. Only drivers who pass Postal Inspection Service checks would be permitted to continue driving under this new plan.

USPS has not yet announced when this policy may begin. The agency says it plans to work with trucking contractors on a gradual rollout. USPS also did not say how many drivers could be affected or whether the shift could create staffing concerns.

Federal Safety Efforts Connected to Non-Domiciled CDLs

Federal officials have been reviewing how non-domiciled CDLs are issued across the nation. The DOT rule aims to reduce fraud risk and strengthen confidence in CDL documentation systems. Federal leaders have suggested that better control may support safer highways.

USPS said its move is meant to align with these federal safety goals. The agency hopes the added oversight of non-domiciled CDLs may help reduce risk within its transportation network.

The Postal Service relies heavily on highway trucking. According to USPS, about 55,000 truck loads move each day, totaling close to 2 billion miles annually. Due to that scale, even moderate policy adjustments can create effects across many regions and fleets.

Contracted Carriers May Need to Prepare for New Rules

Trucking companies that haul for USPS may need to review records and driver files connected to non-domiciled CDLs when the change takes effect. Carriers with affected drivers may face added screening steps to keep those drivers on postal routes.

USPS has not yet stated whether trucking companies will be required to remove unvetted drivers on their own or if the agency will manage the process directly. It is also not yet clear whether any exceptions may exist.

The impact may vary depending on how many drivers with non-domiciled CDLs operate in different regions. Some areas may see little effect. Others may see changes in driver availability. USPS has stated that the intention is focused on safety rather than reducing service.

Keep reading

Disgusting: Michigan Senate Candidate Under Fire After Comments About Vice President Vance’s ‘Brown Children’

Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim and socialist, is proof that not all press is good press.

He is already under fire for openly and proudly campaigning with controversial pro-Hamas/pro-Hezbollah influencer Hasan Piker.

A campaign event last August took a dark turn when he suggested “choking out” opponents.

“We need Democrats who have the courage to stand up to the power brokers in our own party, let alone Trump and his goons,” El-Sayed said to wild applause. “We don’t back down.”

“When they go low, we don’t go high,” he added as the crowd continued to roar. “We take them to the mud and choke them out!”

Now, after comments he made on Friday targeting Vice President JD Vance’s children, he is facing online blowback.

El-Sayed appeared on “The Allen Analysis Show,” and the subject of Vance’s personal life came up.

In discussing Second Lad Usha, El-Sayed said, “What do you think is going through Usha’s head when he talks? She’s like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him.’”

He continued, “I guess she’s pregnant so something is happening.”

“Can you imagine, he’s got Brown kids, at some point he’s going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids, like, you made your career hating people who are different.”

“He’s got to look at his kids and be like, ‘Yeah, those are Brown kids, they’re mine,’ You know what I mean? ‘And I had Brown kids. I had Brown kids?’”

Keep reading