OK TO RECOGNIZE HER MILITARY SERVICE, BUT THERE IS NO HONOR IN HER PARTICIPATION IN THE JAN 6 INSURRECTION AND IT'S TOUGH SHIT THAT SHE WAS KILLED

Air Force Grants Funeral Honors to Ashli Babbitt

Judicial Watch

Aug 27, 2025 

 

Ashli Babbitt

 

Washington, DC – Judicial Watch announced today that the U.S. Air Force will finally provide full military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran who was shot and killed inside the U.S. Capitol by then-Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd on January 6, 2021. Babbitt was the only official January 6 homicide victim. The Biden administration had previously denied Babbitt and her family these honors in retaliation for being at the U.S. Capitol that day. This decision comes on the heels of a massive, nearly $5 million Trump administration settlement to her family for wrongful death and other claims against the U.S. Government.

Babbitt, 35, owned and operated a successful pool business with her husband Aaron. Ashli traveled alone from San Diego to Washington, DC, to attend the Women for America First (aka Save America) rally on January 6, 2021, at the Ellipse near the White House.

On July 23, 2025, Judicial Watch Senior Counsel Robert Sticht wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asking him to reverse the “grave national injustice” of denying Babbitt and her family military funeral honors: 

I am writing to urge you to make a new determination granting military funeral honors for SrA Ashli Elizabeth Pamatian, aka Ashli Elizabeth McEntee, and Ashli Elizabeth Babbitt, a War on Terror veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. 

***

I respectfully encourage the Department of Defense to favorably consider two major recent developments and also Ashli’s lengthy and meritorious military service.

First, on January 20, 2025, President Trump granted clemency for certain offenses relating to the events at or near the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Presidential proclamation states, “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.” President Trump (a) commuted the sentences of certain individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021; (b) granted a full, complete and unconditional pardon to all other individuals convicted  of [similar] offenses….

Second … on July 2, 2025, the United States of America paid a damage award of nearly five million dollars to settle a wrongful death lawsuit that Judicial Watch and I brought forward on behalf of the Estate of Ashli Babbitt and her husband Aaron Babbitt to ensure justice and accountability for the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt on January 6, 2021. Once again, Gen. Kelly’s denial of military funeral honors for Ashli’s funeral cannot be reconciled with this landmark legal settlement. Many well-documented facts now clearly show that the fatal shooting was not justified.

For example, Ashli was the only official homicide on January 6, 2021. Ashli, age 35, was unarmed when she was fatally shot. She stood 5’3’ tall and weighed 115 pounds. Her hands were up in the air, empty, and in plain view of Lt. Byrd and four armed officers behind him. Seven additional armed officers were behind Ashli, including four Containment and Emergency Response Team officers. Ashli posed no threat to the safety of any officer nor any Member of Congress who stayed after Member evacuation. Ashli was begging officers to call for backup before she was shot. Officers ignored Ashli. The only shot fired that day was the one Lt. Byrd fired to kill Ashli. Lt. Byrd was not in uniform. Lt. Byrd did not identify himself as a police officer or otherwise make his presence known to Ashli. Lt. Byrd also did not give Ashli any warnings or commands before firing the shot that killed her. Ashli never saw Lt. Byrd because he was hidden from her view. She was ambushed and defenseless. Multiple witnesses at the scene yelled, “you just murdered her.” Lt. Byrd later told the world on NBC Nightly News that he “had no clue” about the individual he shot. “I didn’t even know it was a female until hours, way later … that night,” he said.

***

Ashli Babbitt’s patriotic and courageous service in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard also merits favorable action on this request.

The decision to finally extend military funeral honors was confirmed in a letter on August 15, 2025, written by Under Secretary of the Air Force Matthew L. Lohmeier to Aaron Babbitt, Ashli’s husband and Ashli Babbitt’s mother, Michelle Witthoeft:

On behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force, I write to extend the offer for Military Funeral Honors for SrA Ashli Babbitt. I understand that the family’s initial request was denied by Air Force leadership in a letter dated February 9, 2021. However, after reviewing the circumstances of Ashli’s death, and considering the information that has come forward since then, I am persuaded that the previous determination was incorrect.

“Ashli Babbitt’s family is grateful to President Trump, Secretary Hegseth and Under Secretary Lohmeier for reversing the Biden Defense Department’s cruel decision to deny Ashli funeral honors as a distinguished veteran of the Air Force,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “Judicial Watch’s team spent years investigating, litigating, and exposing the truth about Ashli’s homicide. Judicial Watch is proud to have done its part in bringing her family a measure of justice and accountability for Ashli’s outrageous killing. And our battle for justice will continue.”

 (Judicial Watch obtained a $4.975 million settlement in the wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. Government on behalf of Babbitt’s family (Estate of Ashli Babbitt and Aaron Babbitt, et al. v. United States of America (No. 1:24-cv-01701 (formerly 3:24-cv-00033))).

Judicial Watch has been pursuing several lawsuits to secure transparency regarding Babbitt’s death and other government activities on January 6.

In January 2023, documents from the Department of the Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, MD, showed Byrd was housed at taxpayer expense at Joint Base Andrews after he shot and killed Babbitt inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

In November 2021, Judicial Watch released multiple audio, visual and photo records from the DC Metropolitan Police Department about the shooting death of Babbitt in the U.S. Capitol Building. The records included a cell phone video of the shooting and an audio of a brief police interview of the shooter, Byrd.

In October 2021, Judicial Watch uncovered records from the DC Metropolitan Police about the shooting death of Babbitt. The new records include the January 6, 2021, Metro PD Death Report for Babbitt (identified as Ashli Elizabeth McEntee-Babbitt Pamatian). The investigators note that the possible Manner of Death was “Homicide [Police Involved Shooting].”

GEEZERCIDE IN STOCKTON

By Bob Walsh

James Allen

 

 

Generally speaking homicide is a young mans game, but on Sunday in Stockton it didn't go down that way.  A 60-year old man was shot to death just across Hwy 5 from the Port of Stockton.  A few hours later the local constabulary arrested James Allen, 72, for suspicion of the murder along with some drug and weapons charges.

We try to make it interesting at least once in a while here in Mudville.

LOOKS LIKE THE RUMOR WAS TRUE

By Bob Walsh

President Trump revoked Hunter and Ashley Biden’s Secret Service security detail

 

 

UPI, The Hill, the S F Chronicle and various outlets in L.A. have now confirmed that the California Highway Patrol has taken over providing protection for Kamala Harris due to her "dignitary status."  Gavin Newsom's office has declined comment, stating that they do not comment on security issues.  Kamala Harris' official residence is in San Francisco.  She is beginning a 100 day book tour.

Beside Ms. Harris' protection going away the Secret Service detail for Hunter Biden and Ashley Biden have also gone away, due to President Trump's administrative action.  The normal protection detail for adult children is six months.  Biden also extended that for an additional 12 months on his way out the door.  Hunter Biden's detail recently accompanied him to South Africa.

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME ON THE TEXAS HOUSE MEMBERS WHO PREVENTED THE THC BAN FROM BECOMING LAW

THC ban stalls out down the homestretch of Texas special legislative session

High priority bills that propose banning THC have not moved through the Texas House, as the current overtime session could conclude in the coming days.

 

By Stephen Simpson

 

The Texas Tribune

Aug 29, 2025

 

 

 

Edible products advertised as containing delta-8 THC which can give consumers a similar experience as marijuana.

 

After several months of fiery debate and tearful testimonies over the prospect of banning THC statewide, proposed measures to do so have stalled in the Texas House.

Senate Bill 6, which would have created a blanket ban on products containing any “detectable amount of any cannabinoid” other than cannabidiol and cannabigerol, better known as CBD and CBG, non-intoxicating components of cannabis, hasn’t been heard in a House committee after the Senate passed it Aug. 19. The House’s version of the bill hasn’t been heard in its chamber’s committee either.

Ten days might not be long for a bill to sit dormant during a regular legislative session, but with state leadership suggesting that the current special legislative session could wind down in the coming days, lawmakers would have to move fast on THC upon reconvening after Monday’s holiday.

Without further regulations or a ban being discussed by lawmakers in the House, the most likely scenario is that hemp-derived THC remains legal in Texas, but with more enforcement of current laws restricting the drug.

“It seems like a lot of people don’t want anything to do with it,” said Lukas Gilkey, chief executive of Hometown Hero, an Austin-based manufacturer of hemp-derived THC products. “It’s a hot potato.”

What does the status quo look like? 

Consumable THC products in Texas are mostly made from hemp-derived cannabinoids that were made legal federally and statewide in 2019. These products come in various forms, including smokable vapes and flower buds, oils and creams, baked goods, drinks, gummies, and candies. Under current law, those forms would remain legal if lawmakers don’t take any action to further regulate or ban THC.

Texas law, however, says the products may not contain more than 0.3% concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the intoxicating part of the cannabis plant that comes in forms known as delta-8, delta-9, and THCA. There has been little enforcement of this because of the burden it places on the criminal justice system to test these products and cite retailers who might have packages mislabeled. There are also loose and inconsistent testing requirements under state law.

However, even if the laws don’t change, enforcement of these laws could pick up. Gilkey has recently accused Texas Department of State Health Services officials of conducting retaliatory raids of hemp manufacturers.

The state agency, which inspects manufacturers for sanitary conditions and reviews records that confirm hemp has less than 0.3% delta-9 THC, clarified that staff doesn’t perform raids on businesses.

“DSHS conducts inspections randomly or ‘for cause’ due to information indicating a licensee may not be in compliance (e.g. complaints received),” agency spokesperson Lara Anton said in an emailed statement. “Due to limited resources and the rapid influx of licenses, our current target inspection frequency is once every five years.”

Under current law, there is no age limit to purchase consumable hemp-derived THC products and no limit on the number of retailers who can sell these products.

"Stay vigilant” until sine die

This is the third attempt this year by lawmakers in the upper chamber to eliminate the majority of hemp products statewide, including those that are legal under the federal definition.

The movement to ban hemp-derived THC products was spearheaded by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, who, along with other lawmakers, deemed these items too dangerous for the general public since it was getting into the hands of children.

The ban almost passed during the regular session. However, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed the bill, instead calling for regulations and making it a priority of both special sessions.

Abbott, in his veto, urged lawmakers to regulate hemp similarly to liquor, by prohibiting sales near places frequented by children, and banning sales to anyone under the age of 21, with strict penalties for any retailer that fails to comply. The hemp industry has primarily been amenable to these proposed restrictions.

The veto came after immense pushback from hemp supporters, including veterans and chronically ill people, who said hemp has been a cheaper and more accessible alternative to the medical marijuana program. Patrick, who was a vocal supporter of a THC ban, lambasted the veto as an attempt to legalize adult-use cannabis.

“Senate Bill 6 has been a top legislative priority because the Texas Senate refuses to allow bad actors to use loopholes in agriculture law to flood our communities with potent, intoxicating products disguised as harmless treats,” said Patrick after the upper chamber passed SB 6. “Texans expect action — and the Senate will continue delivering until SB 6 becomes law.”

The Texas Tribune has reached out to Patrick’s office for a comment.

In advocating for a ban, Perry pushed against Abbott’s suggestion to regulate hemp, saying during legislative hearings that law enforcement doesn’t have the manpower to regulate the alcohol industry, let alone the THC market. He also doesn't believe the hemp market actually wants to be regulated.

Hemp advocates, such as Heather Fazio with the Texas Cannabis Policy Center, are still closely watching discussions in the Legislature and hesitate to declare a win until both chambers gavel out.

“Everyone should stay vigilant. The session is not over, and because it is a special session, they don’t have to follow the same rules as during a regular session, so we’re just staying aware until this whole thing is over,” said Cynthia Cabrera, chief strategy officer for Hometown Hero.

Cabrera said the past few attempts to ban overall access to THC are the perfect example of government overreach and why Texans need to be engaged with their local government.

However, she said the industry is still ready for regulations, not a ban, if or when they come.

“If your concern is about access by minors, then pass an age bill. It's a very simple thing to do,” she said. “If you're concerned about synthetics, well then don’t be, because synthetics are already illegal and have been since 2011. It would be nice to get past all the rhetoric and really focus on a public safety, high-quality, consumer-oriented approach.

FINANCIAL RESTITUTION? ... THE INSURRECTIONISTS BELONG IN PRISON AND GRANTING THEM PARDONS WAS A CRIME

Jan. 6 rioters make brazen demand for CASH compensation after being emboldened by Trump pardons

 

By Phillip Nieto 

 

Daily Mail

Sep 1, 2025

 

 

Rioters are seeking financial restitution from the federal government by claiming they were unfairly prosecuted 

 

Within hours of taking the Oval Office, Donald Trump fulfilled his promise to pardon and release all January 6th Capitol rioters – but now they want more.

Lawyers for the rioters are lobbying the Trump administration to pay their clients restitution for what they describe as unfair prosecutions.

One of the leading attorneys for the rioters is Mark McCloskey, who gained fame during the 2020 pandemic when he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at protesters outside his home in St. Louis.

McCloskey told his clients during a social media meeting last week that he had met with top officials at the DOJ and presented them with a blueprint to create a committee responsible for handing out financial compensation to the rioters, according to the New York Times.

The special panel would be called a ‘voluntary nonjudicial resolution committee’ and would evaluate each rioter's case on an individual basis. 

McCloskey claims he is pushing for US prosecutor Jeanine Pirro to lead the panel. Pirro now leads the DC prosecutors’ office responsible for sending the rioters to prison.

“The only thing I can do as your lawyer…is to turn your losses into dollar bills,’ he reportedly told the rioters during the online session.

If successful, the restitution panel would reshape the image of the Capitol rioters as victims of the federal government.

 

 

Mark McCloskey, who gained fame during the 2020 pandemic when he pointed an AR-15-style rifle at protesters outside his home in St. Louis, is one of the attorney's leading the charge for the Justice Department to create the special panel

Trump pardoned all rioters imprisoned or charged for their actions on January 6th, 2021

 

According to the Times, McCloskey claimed the rioters have allies in the federal government including DOJ attorney Ed Martin, who runs a working group responsible for investigating the ‘weaponization’ of the justice system.

‘He’s 100 percent on our side,’ Mr. McCloskey said.

As the rioters make moves to squeeze money out of the federal government, 2025 has proven to be a successful year for these Trump militant loyalists.

On his first day in office Trump granted complete clemency for over 1,500 individuals charred or convicted of crimes relating to the riot.

Trump’s sweeping pardons included hundreds of individuals found guilty of assaulting police officers.

Moreover, Trump has since purged prosecutors and federal agents from the DOJ who were responsible for imprisoning the rioters.

If McCloskey’s efforts are successful, it would not be the first time the federal government has dished out money for their treatment of Capitol rioters.

 

Tear gas is released into the crowd of rioters during clashes with U.S. Capitol police on January 6.

McCloskey claims he is in talks with top officials at the DOJ to create the panel 

 

Back in May, The Justice Department reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was shot and killed by a U.S. Capitol Police officer on January 6th.

According to CBS News, Babbitt’s family will receive approximately $5 million as part of their wrongful-death lawsuit.

The U.S. government last week also offered full military funeral honors for Babbitt, who was a former Air Force veteran before her death. 

THE NUTJOBS RUNNING LOOSE IN NEW YORK ALONE WOULD FILL ALL THE CLOSED MENTAL FACILITIES

Trump floats stunning plan to REOPEN mental asylums as he blasts states for dumping patients on the streets

 

By Elina Shirazi 

 

Daily Mail

Sep 1, 2025

 

Trump, America's crime fighter

 

President Donald Trump has indicated he would consider reopening mental institutions for individuals with severe psychiatric conditions, all part of his broader approach to combating crime.

In an hour interview published Monday by the Daily Caller, White House reporter Reagan Reese interviewed the president in the Oval Office.

During a discussion about Trump's efforts to fix crime nationwide, Reese raised the idea of the federal government reviving asylums for those with serious mental illness.

'Would you be open to the government reopening insane asylums for people with serious mental illness?' Reese asked.

'Yeah. I would,' Trump replied.

Trump went on to say that the government used to have mental institutions, adding that states like California and New York used them, and released everyone into the public because they couldn't afford to keep them in the facilities any longer.

Trump has said in prior interviews that he wants to clean up places like California, Chicago and New York.

'You know, it's massively expensive.'

 

Beyond Washington D.C., Trump has said in prior interviews that he wants to clean up places like California, Chicago and New York

In the interview, Trump said that the government used to have mental institutions, adding that states like California and New York used them, and released everyone into the public because they couldn't afford to keep them in the facilities any longer

President Donald Trump has indicated he would consider reopening mental institutions for individuals with severe psychiatric conditions, all part of his broader approach to combating crime 

During a discussion about Trump's efforts to fix crime nationwide, Daily Caller White House Reporter Reagan Reese raised the idea of the federal government reviving asylums for those with serious mental illness

 

Trump said in the interview that he remembers these institutions in New York, where he grew up, citing psychiatric facilities like Creedmoor and Bellevue. 

'They had a lot of them, Bellevue, and they were closed by a certain governor. And I remember when they did, it was a long time ago, and I said they didn't release these people? And they did. They released them into society, and that's what you have,' Trump said.

Adding, 'It's a rough, it's a rough situation.' 

When the reporter asked how soon the President would consider enacting this plan, to which he responded, 'Why is that a big thing? People are thinking about that?'

This interview comes as President Trump pushes his 'zero tolerance homelessness plan' as part of his federal takeover of DC and nationwide crime crackdown. 

Trump has made headlines by mobilizing Washington's police and deploying hundreds of National Guard members to the streets. He has promised to relocate the homeless away from the capital while making the city 'more beautiful' and eliminating what he calls 'the slums.'

During the interview, Reese told the president that she and her roommates had moved to Virginia from Capitol Hill because she felt unsafe there, and that they still experienced an attempted break–in even after relocating. 

Trump responded by promoting DC as 'a crime–free zone because we don't play games. You know, I said they spit, we hit.'

 

This interview comes as President Trump pushes his 'zero tolerance homelessness plan' as part of his federal takeover of DC and nationwide crime crackdown

According to the White House, as of last Friday before the holiday weekend, there have been 1,369 total arrests since they started the federal crackdown

Trump responded by promoting DC as 'a crime–free zone because we don't play games. You know, I said they spit, we hit

 

According to the White House, as of last Friday before the holiday weekend, there have been 1,369 total arrests since they started the federal crackdown.

City officials and critics have emphasized that crime is already declining in Washington.

Many of the mental institutions referenced in Trump's plan gained notoriety for harsh conditions and patient mistreatment, ultimately leading to widespread closures.

WOODY ALLEN PRAISING TRUMP? ... HOLY SHIT, THE SKY MUST BE FALLING IN

Kamala voter Woody Allen gives Trump incredible praise: 'He's a pleasure, polite, and charismatic'

 

By Rachel Bowman 

 

Daily Mail

Sep 1, 2025

 

 

Four-time Oscar winner Woody Allen called the president a 'pleasure to work with' while speaking with Bill Maher on the comedian's Club Random podcast 

 

Controversial director Woody Allen gave Donald Trump surprising praise during a recent interview, despite admitting he voted for Kamala Harris.

The four-time Oscar winner called the president a 'pleasure to work with' while speaking with Bill Maher on the comedian's Club Random podcast.

'I’m not a Trumper. I’m one of the few people who can say he directed Trump. I directed Trump in a movie. In Celebrity,' Allen said, referencing his star-studded 1998 film.

'He was a pleasure to work with and a very good actor. He was very polite and hit his mark and did everything correctly and had a real flair for show business.' 

'If you think you were canceled before,' Maher chimed in, nodding at the backlash the director faced during the Me Too movement over renewed interest in the sexual abuse claims by his adopted daughter and the unique history with his third wife.

'I could direct him now if he would let me. If he’d let me direct him now that he’s president, I think I could do wonders. But he was very easy to work with,' Allen said.

'I disagree with almost all, not all, but almost all of his politics or his policies. I can only judge what I know from directing him in film. And he was pleasant to work, and with very professional, very polite to everyone.'

Maher agreed, adding, '[Trump's] different in person. And when you say that, people who are just purely emotional, get very upset, even though it’s just the truth. We’re just saying the truth.'

 

Woody Allen directed Donald Trump in his star-studded 1998 film 'Celebrity' (pictured)

 

'I’m a Democrat. I voted for Kamala Harris,' Allen said. 'And I take issue with him, you know, on 95 percent of the things. Maybe 99 percent. But as an actor, he was very good. 

'He was very convincing and very, you know, he has a charismatic quality as an actor. And I’m surprised he wanted to go into politics. Politics is nothing but headaches and critical decisions and agony. 

Allen added, 'This was a guy I used to see at the Knicks games, and he liked to play golf and he liked to judge beauty contests. And he liked to do things that were enjoyable and relaxing. 

'Why anyone would want to suddenly have to deal with the issues of politics is beyond me. But apparently, he doesn’t mind.'

Allen was recently spotted holding hands with his third wife, Soon-Yi Previn, as the couple enjoyed a date night at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California.

At 89, the disgraced director is 35 years older than the special education expert, who was adopted from Korea by his longtime ex-partner, Mia Farrow, and her second ex-husband, André Previn, back in 1978.

Woody (born Allan Konigsberg) and Soon-Yi (born Oh Soon-hee) have been married for 27 years, and they're proud parents of adopted daughters Bechet Allen and Manzie Tio Allen.

Bechet, 26, works as an assistant to Gagosian Gallery curator Michael Cary, and Manzie, 25, works as an assistant to Emily in Paris showrunner Darren Star.

 

Allen said that while he disagrees with most of Trump's policies, 'he was pleasant to work, and with very professional, very polite to everyone'

Maher warned Allen he might get canceled again for praising Trump, nodding at the backlash the director faced during the Me Too movement over renewed interest in the sexual abuse claims by his adopted daughter and the unique history with his third wife (pictured with their children in 2023)

 

Previn said she never considered Allen a father figure despite her Rosemary's Baby alum mother dating him for 12 years, spanning 1980-1992 until Farrow discovered nude Polaroids of her then 21-year-old daughter at his home.

Seven months later, Farrow publicly accused the Bronx-born filmmaker of molesting her seven-year-old adopted daughter Dylan Farrow.

Allen - who was never charged or prosecuted - quickly sued the Roommate thespian for full custody of their son Satchel (now Ronan) and her adopted children Dylan and Moses.

In his 33-page decision in 1993, Justice Elliott Wilk rejected Allen's bid for custody of all three of their children and called his behavior toward Dylan 'grossly inappropriate' while also rejecting the sexual abuse allegations.

And while 40-year-old Dylan stands by the allegations, her 47-year-old brother Moses publicly denied she was ever abused and alleged their mother had abused him in a 2018 WordPress post.

NO SURPRISE HERE ... AFTER ALL, THEY ARE SCHOLARS

Genocide scholars say IDF committing genocide in Gaza; Israel: ‘Based on Hamas lies’

Group of 500 international scholars passes resolution with 86% of voters in favor; Foreign Ministry rejects declaration as ‘an embarrassment to the legal profession’

 

The Times of Israel

Sep 1, 2025 

Smoke rises following an explosion during an Israeli military strike in Gaza City, August 28, 2025

 

The world’s leading genocide scholars’ association passed a resolution saying that the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, its president announced Monday.

“Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide,” as well as crimes against humanity and war crimes, according to the resolution passed by the International Association of Genocide Scholars.

Eighty-six percent of those who voted among the 500-member association backed the three-page resolution declaring that “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide” according to the 1948 United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The organization did not release the specifics of the voting.

The Foreign Ministry rejected the declaration as “disgraceful,” declaiming it as “an embarrassment to the legal profession and to any academic standard.”

“It is entirely based on Hamas’s campaign of lies and the laundering of those lies by others,” the ministry said in a statement, asserting that genocide allegations should instead be leveled against Hamas for its October 7, 2023, attack.

 

Melanie O’Brien, president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars and an international law professor at University of Western Australia, is interviewed by Middle East Eye on June 5, 2025. 

 

“For the first time, ‘Genocide Scholars’ accuse the very victim of genocide — despite Hamas’s attempted genocide against the Jewish people, murdering 1,200 people, raping women, burning families alive, and declaring its goal of killing every Jew,” said the ministry.

The ministry further accused the organization of not verifying any information it considered before making its designation.

The resolution holds that Israel is carrying out “deliberate attacks against and killing of civilians including children; starvation; deprivation of humanitarian aid, water, fuel, and other items essential to the survival of the population; sexual and reproductive violence; and forced displacement of the population.”

In Gaza, Hamas welcomed the resolution. “This prestigious scholarly stance reinforces the documented evidence and facts presented before international courts,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.

The resolution “places a legal and moral obligation on the international community to take urgent action to stop the crime, protect civilians, and hold the leaders of the occupation accountable,” he added.

Monday’s resolution also leveled criticism against Hamas, though it did not accuse the terror group of genocide, stating that its October 7 massacre, which sparked the ongoing war, constituted “international crimes.”

During the onslaught, Hamas-led terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251. There are 48 hostages who remain in Gaza, around 20 of them believed to be alive.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 63,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Hamas has claimed women and children make up about half the dead.

Israel has insisted it makes every effort to avoid harming civilians and blames Hamas for their deaths because the terror group’s fighters operate out of densely populated areas. It says Hamas is prolonging the war by not surrendering and releasing the hostages.

Israel says it had killed over 22,000 combatants in battle as of August and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 460.

The scholars group’s determination that Israel is guilty of genocide could serve to further isolate Israel in global public opinion and adds to a growing chorus of organizations that have used the term for Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“People who are experts in the study of genocide can see this situation for what it is,” Melanie O’Brien, the organization’s president and a professor of international law at the University of Western Australia, told The Associated Press.

In July, two prominent Israeli rights groups, Btselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, came out with statements alleging that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The organizations do not reflect mainstream thinking in Israel, but it marked the first time that Jewish-led Israeli organizations have made such accusations.

In August, Israeli novelist David Grossman claimed that Israel was committing a “genocide” in Gaza, saying in an interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica that he did so only with “intense pain and a broken heart.”

Genocide was codified in a 1948 convention, drawn up after the horrors of the Holocaust, that defines it as acts “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”

This is not the first time that the scholars group, founded in 1994, has leveled the genocide accusation in recent years. It has previously held that China’s treatment of its Muslim Uighur minority and Myanmar’s brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims met the threshold for genocide.

In 2006, the organization said statements by then-Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad — in which he called for Israel to be “wiped off the map” — had “genocidal intent” and called for urgent action to be taken.

The United Nations and many Western countries have said only a court can rule on whether the crime has been committed. South Africa has accused Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice — an allegation Israel rejects. A final ruling could take years.

ORIGINALLY FUNDED BY GEORGE SOROS, J STREET IS AN ANTI-ISRAEL ORGANIZATION FALSELY POSING AS PRO-ISRAEL

Forget about my name on a J Street petition

The organization puts the blame on the wrong party, and ignores the true source of pain for Israelis and Palestinians

 

By Howard Teich 

 

JNS

Sep 1, 2025

 

Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street

 

J Street recently sent an email, asking me to sign a petition with the subject heading, “Oppose this Insanity,” which included a cover letter requesting that we not remain silent if we are pro-Israel. And, of course, asked for a donation.

Here’s the way it framed their ask: “We don’t yet have your name on our petition against Netanyahu’s catastrophic, indefinite Gaza occupation plan, including efforts to force nearly 1 million civilians from Gaza City to make way for heavy strikes.”

They will never have my name on their petition.

Israel needs to move toward an actual victory in its war with Hamas in Gaza, which means the removal of the terrorist organization and the liberation of the hostages. At the same time, the future rights of the residents of Gaza and the future safety of the Israeli residents living along the border with Gaza must be grappled with.

Throughout nearly two years of war started by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, with the backing of Iran and other radical Islamic terror organizations, Israelis and the Gazans have suffered incomprehensible hardships. So let’s start by addressing J Street’s title for this email, “End the War, Free the Hostages, Surge Aid.” Israel has made offers to end the war, all of which have been refused by Hamas. The terrorists can free the hostages and end the war. Instead, Hamas continues to keep them in inhumane conditions, as was recently shown in videos made by the terrorists.

In the midst of a war and with Israel’s future at stake, J Street stands behind the quote that Israel’s democratically elected prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is “leading Israel and the hostages to doom.” Israel had faced 150,000 rockets and missiles on its northern front, neighbors on seven sides looking to attack and destroy the country, and the reality of another Oct. 7 in the future unless it succeeds in disarming the surrounding terrorists intent on ending the existence of Israel. Throughout this regional war, Israel has moved toward securing its position on these multiple fronts at great cost.

Israel now has a plan for concluding the Gaza war and freeing the 50 remaining hostages, about 20 believed to be still alive. The plan comes with the potential for grave danger, yet it is an essential step in ending the threat from Hamas. The choice has become clear not because it is being pushed “by messianic zealots,” as J Street termed it, but because Hamas has continued to inhumanely put their interests ahead of the people of Gaza and prevented the end of this war.

It has also impeded and delayed a potential future “Marshall Plan” for Gaza and the betterment of the Palestinian Arab people living there.

I remain deeply disappointed with J Street’s email and its growing influence in Congress through significant PAC contributions and lobbying. More than that, I cannot forgive those legislators who take that money and parrot J Street’s words, for they have failed in carrying the torch for our people when the future of our Jewish civilization is at stake.

Their truth is distorted, for they are not pro-Israel at all. 

FOR ISRAEL COMMUNICATION HAS BECOME THE EIGHTH FRONT, AS DANGEROUS AS THE MISSILES FROM LEBANON OR THE TUNNELS UNDER GAZA

War and symbols

Why Israel killed Hamas’s propaganda chief and why Mahmoud Abbas still doesn’t belong at the United Nations.

 

By Fiamma Nirenstein 

 

JNS

Aug 31, 2025

 

Hamas propaganda chief Abu Obeida

 

Wars today are not fought only on the battlefield; they are fought on the airwaves, in newspapers, on social media feeds and in United Nations chambers. For Israel, communication has become the eighth front, as dangerous as the missiles from Lebanon or the tunnels under Gaza. It fuels antisemitism, incites anti-Christian hatred and undermines democratic societies worldwide.

 

Hamas propaganda chief Abu Obeida

 

This week, Israel struck a decisive blow on that front by eliminating Hudahaifa Kahlout, better known as Abu Obeida, Hamas’s long-serving spokesman and propaganda mastermind. Since 2004, with his masked face and nasal, militant tones, he had been the voice of Hamas terror.

He announced the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit in 2006. He spread threats against hostages, most recently warning that captives would be used as human shields if the IDF entered Gaza. And above all, he built the narrative that criminalized Israel with the words “genocide” and “starvation,” a campaign amplified by Al Jazeera, Hamas’s bogus “ministries,” and an international press too willing to repeat Hamas figures without scrutiny.

For Hamas supporters and apologists, Abu Obeida was an icon. For Israel and the Jewish people, he was a symbol of the propaganda war that has poisoned world opinion. His elimination is a blow not only to Hamas’s military command but also to its global disinformation campaign.

At the same time, the United States sent a powerful signal of its own: Mahmoud Abbas will not be allowed into the U.S. to attend the U.N. General Assembly or Emmanuel Macron’s side meeting pushing for recognition of a Palestinian state.

It is not the first time Washington has barred a Palestinian leader. Yasser Arafat was once denied entry, only to deliver his infamous 1974 Geneva speech, pistol in one hand and olive branch in the other. But the symbolism here is critical.

Abbas, who only in June reluctantly muttered a word of criticism about Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, continues to fund terror through stipends to convicted attackers and the glorification of “martyrs.” He opposed the Abraham Accords with all his might. And though Hamas has eclipsed him in brutality, Abbas still hopes to secure statehood as a reward for decades of incitement.

Washington is right to draw a line. Terrorism cannot be rewarded with recognition. Abbas’s presence on the world stage, under U.N. applause, would hand legitimacy to the very ideology Israel is fighting to eradicate.

Israel now faces critical hours: hostage negotiations, renewed military operations in Gaza and delicate contacts with Arab states that could shape the region’s future. The propaganda war will continue—anti-Israel campaigns, automatic U.N. majorities, European recognition of “Palestine” as a state. But Israel is proving it will not only fight rockets and tunnels—it will also dismantle the lies that sustain them.

By killing Hamas’s propaganda chief and by supporting U.S. moves to hold Abbas accountable, Israel and its allies are reminding the world: the age of rewarding terror must end.

As the roulette wheel of Middle Eastern politics continues to spin, the stakes are clear. There can be no peace built on propaganda, incitement and blood money.

DON'T BE SURPRISED IF THE UN MOVES ITS GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING TO A COUNTRY THAT WELCOMES TERRORIST MAHMOUD ABBAS

Trumping a ‘conjectural Palestinian state’ at the UNGA

Washington’s visa revocation was a message meant just as much for the Western leaders who’d planned on hailing Abbas at the U.N. as it was for those denied entry. 

 

By Ruthie Blum 

 

JNS

Aug 31, 2025

 

                

                  Mahmoud Abbas underneath picture of Yasser Arafat

 

Kudos to the administration in Washington for its dramatic announcement on Friday—ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly—that it is denying and revoking visas for members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. In other words, neither P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas nor his entourage of bad actors will be able to travel to New York City to attend the annual event they’d been anticipating with such glee.

Naturally. This year, the chief terrorist-in-a-tie in Ramallah wasn’t merely going to be showered with accolades. He was going to be honored by a number of Western countries declaring their intention to recognize the “State of Palestine.”

First among these paragons of immoral political expediency was French President Emmanuel Macron, who came out of this proverbial closet on July 24. Next in line was British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who followed suit on July 29.

Then came Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Malta’s Robert Adela on July 30. Australia’s premier, Anthony Albanese, joined the dubious club on Aug. 11. Yet all were a bit late to the endeavor, since Norway, Spain and Ireland were the trailblazers in May 2024. Much to the delight of Hamas, by the way.  

Notable about the handful of left-leaning heads of government is their desperate attempt to remain relevant internationally, while catering domestically to a growing anti-Israel sentiment and/or Islamist electorate. This isn’t how they frame their stunt, of course.

No, they profess to be on the side of, you know, “peace” in the Mideast by way of a “two-state solution.” This is code for massive Israeli territorial concessions to an entity sworn to the annihilation of the Jews. One whose henchmen and fellow travelers in Gaza perpetrated the Oct. 7 massacre, and whose counterparts in Judea and Samaria have yet to condemn the atrocities of that Black Sabbath nearly two years ago.

This makes sense. Though the rulers in Ramallah are rivals of Hamas, which is wildly popular in the P.A., they encourage, fund and reward that group’s terrorists.

They also issue the antisemitic textbooks used in schools to indoctrinate Palestinian-Arab children to glorify martyrdom in the name of Allah—for anyone who murders Jews and Israelis. And let’s not forget that the institutions of such learning in Gaza are run by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for so-called “Palestinian refugees.”

These are the only refugees in the world with a special status that perpetuates their plight, rather than alleviating it through permanent resettlement. Not surprisingly, the very bleeding hearts who claim to care about human rights ignore this travesty. Or welcome it.

After all, it’s far more lucrative financially and beneficial ideologically to buy into and spread the propaganda that Israel is at fault. And this is despite the repeated efforts by the Jewish state to meet the conditions of both friends and foes ranting about the need for Israel to remove the “obstacles” responsible for a lack of peace with the Palestinians.

Instead of acknowledging that every Israeli peace overture and goodwill gesture has increased Palestinians’ incentive to destroy Israel, Western liberals—including Jewish ones at home and abroad—have spent decades doubling down on their belief in failed policies.

This can be chalked up to naïve “kumbaya” fantasies or genuine malevolence aimed purposely in the wrong direction. Macron, Starmer, Carney, Adela and Albanese no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt, if they ever warranted it, about which of the two categories best describes them.

Just observe how quick they were to vilify Israel for fighting the jihadists who invaded the country on the Simchat Torah weekend in 2023 and went on a slaughter spree.

Their championing of Palestinian statehood—which, as JNS Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Tobin recently pointed out, “everybody wants except the Palestinians”—was simply another way of pouring salt in Israel’s literal and figurative wounds.

Had Kamala Harris won the U.S. presidential election in November, the United States may have jumped on this bandwagon, as well. Though more symbolic than concrete, it’s significant in terms of how Israel and the P.A. continue to be perceived and treated.

By nixing the entry of the latter into America for the UNGA, President Donald Trump is conveying just as much of a powerful message to the gang of Western terrorism apologists who’d planned on hailing Abbas in the halls of the United Nations as to those denied the visas.

The State Department’s Office of the Spokesperson worded the warning, in part, as follows: “The Trump Administration has been clear: It is in our national security interests to hold the PLO and P.A. accountable for not complying with their commitments, and for undermining the prospects for peace. Before [they] can be considered partners for peace, they must consistently repudiate terrorism—including the Oct. 7 massacre—and end incitement to terrorism in education, as required by U.S. law and as promised by the PLO.”

In addition, the statement went on, “The P.A. must … end its attempts to bypass negotiations through international lawfare campaigns, including appeals to the ICC [International Criminal Court] and ICJ [International Court of Justice], and efforts to secure the unilateral recognition of a conjectural Palestinian state. Both steps materially contributed to Hamas’s refusal to release its hostages, and to the breakdown of the Gaza ceasefire talks.” [Emphasis added.]

However, it concluded, signaling a way forward the likelihood of which is nil, “The United States remains open to re-engagement that is consistent with our laws, should the P.A./PLO meet their obligations and demonstrably take concrete steps to return to a constructive path of compromise and peaceful coexistence with the State of Israel.”  

It remains to be seen whether some U.N. maneuver will override the administration’s decree. But the outcry it evoked in anti-Israel circles indicates how brilliant and crucial a move it was.  

THIS WHOLE TRANSGENDER CRAP IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS... CRAP

More “Trans” Terror: “Transgender” Maine Suspect Nabbed For Attempting To Run Over Border Patrol Capt. And State Trooper 

 

By Kellen McGovern Jones 

 

The Dallas Express

Aug 29, 2025

 

 

"Trans" Olivia (Stevie) Wilkins and background with LGBTQIA+ fist

 

A “transgender” Maine suspect was arrested after allegedly trying to run over a Border Patrol agent and a state trooper during a crash investigation that involved suspected illegal aliens.

Incident and Arrest

Authorities said Olivia “Stevie” Wilkins, 24, of Thomaston, drove a Lexus toward U.S. Border Patrol Capt. Willis and Maine State Police Trooper Jeremiah Wesbrock on Monday in Washington, Maine.

Wesbrock reportedly stated in an affidavit that he drew his firearm and pointed it at the driver, who swerved away as he was in the process of pulling the trigger. The officer’s gun did not fire.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Office later arrested Wilkins after the car went off the road near 571 West Washington Road. The suspect was booked into the Knox County Jail in Rockland and initially held on $50,000 bail, the Midcoast Villager reported.

Wilkins was reportedly charged with reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon, criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon, obstructing government administration, driving to endanger, and failure to stop for an officer.

At an initial court appearance on Wednesday before Judge Eric Walker, bail was reduced to $500 cash, according to the Midcoast Villager. The assistant district attorney said he argued for bail to remain at $50,000, while the defense requested release on personal recognizance.

The judge also ordered Wilkins to house arrest, prohibited him from driving, and barred the defendant from possessing dangerous weapons.

A LinkedIn account for Wilkins features a profile of an individual who identifies as a woman but uses “They/He” pronouns.

Crash Investigation and Border Patrol Response

The confrontation unfolded as police responded to a crash involving a box truck on Route 17. Authorities said the truck left the road and hit a tree, injuring several passengers.

Deputies reportedly identified the driver as Victor Cardona Calderon, 57, of New York. Passengers included Johan Andrés Ortiz Calderón, Agustín Sánchez Mejía, and Alejandro Ramos Chaux. Two were hospitalized, and Ramos Chaux was transported by helicopter to a trauma center.

Trooper Wesbrock said Calderon presented a Colombian passport and a New York driver’s license, leading him to suspect Calderón and his passengers might be in the country illegally. Border Patrol was called to the scene and began interviews, according to the affidavit.

The Maine Department of Public Safety later reportedly stated that Calderón had difficulty communicating in English and was unable to meet the requirements under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act, which mandates English proficiency for commercial drivers. His license was also marked “not for federal identification purposes,” which the trooper said raised additional concerns about its validity.

Alleged Attack on Officers

While Border Patrol interviewed the truck’s occupants, Wilkins allegedly stopped nearby and was told to leave. Instead, authorities said, he spun his tires and drove toward the officers.

“I drew my issued firearm and pointed at the driver who swerved as I was pulling the trigger,” Wesbrock wrote in his affidavit. Wesbrock did not fire, according to Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Public Safety Department.

Wilkins then fled before crashing off the road and being taken into custody.

Broader Context

The case comes amid a series of violent incidents targeting federal immigration officers this summer. Earlier in July, authorities said a gunman opened fire outside a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, injuring a Border Patrol employee and two officers before being killed by agents, The Dallas Express reported.

Weeks later, federal prosecutors indicted Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Seattle, on charges of murdering a Border Patrol agent in Vermont. Prosecutors alleged she was linked to a violent leftist group described as a “transgender” death cult, DX reported.

These incidents were punctuated by an attack from a “transgender” gunman at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis on Wednesday, DX reported.

RUMOR MILL SAYS GAVIN KICKING DOWN OUR MONEY FOR KAMALA'S SECURITY DETAIL

By Bob Walsh

 

The rumor mill today said that "they" have heard that Gavin Newsom is directing the CHP to provide a protection detail to Kamala Harris now that the Secret Service is unloading her.  

Thus far nobody who is in a position to KNOW one way or the other is agreeing to comment on the rumor.

Such things are not cheap and, in the absence of an existing line item in the budget it should be showing up SOMEWHERE.  I am confident that, if it is happening, somebody in the CHP will let it be known in the near future.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: I hesitated to post this wild rumor by Gavin Newsom haters.