Elon Musk has said an Axios report that the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had concluded there was no evidence of a Jeffrey Epstein client list was the "final straw".

The report also said the agencies had concluded there was no credible evidence the disgraced financier and pedophile blackmailed high-profile and prominent individuals, and confirmed that surveillance footage showed Epstein had killed himself in prison.

"So... umm... then what is Ghislaine Maxwell in prison for?" Musk posted to his X platform, referring to Epstein's former girlfriend and associate who procured underage girls for him to abuse.

Elon Musk Reacts to Epstein List Report: 'Final Straw'

Jeffrey Epstein is a disgraced financier and pedophile who died by suicide in 2019.

^{Shane Croucher (Newsweek)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/32817999

from 972 Magazine Sunday Recap newsletter [published in Israel]
07/06/2025

Other articles
* Gaza’s Al-Baqa Cafe was a sanctuary amid the genocide. Now it lies in ruins
* The Knesset vs Ayman Odeh
*The UK can excuse genocide, but draws the line at festival chants
* ‘It comes with the territory’: How Israel’s archaeologists legitimize annexation

Peter Link

2025-07-07 11:32:19

The tears of Gaza’s men are an act of rebellion | 972 Magazine

from 972 Magazine Sunday Recap newsletter [published in Israel]
07/06/2025

Other articles
* Gaza’s Al-Baqa Cafe was a sanctuary amid the genocide. Now it lies in ruins
* The Knesset vs Ayman Odeh
*The UK can excuse genocide, but draws the line at festival chants
* ‘It comes with the territory’: How Israel’s archaeologists legitimize annexation

RGB Media - Responsive Email Template

^{www.972mag.com}

"Ban women from universities, higher education and most white-collar jobs."

"Allow people to privately borrow against the taxable part of the future incomes or other economic activities of their children."

So many execrable takes in one tweet, and that's only two of them. I'm tempted to think he's cynically outrage-farming, but then I remember who he is.

from 972 Magazine Sunday Recap newsletter [published in Israel]
07/06/2025

Other articles
* Gaza’s Al-Baqa Cafe was a sanctuary amid the genocide. Now it lies in ruins
* The Knesset vs Ayman Odeh
*The UK can excuse genocide, but draws the line at festival chants
* ‘It comes with the territory’: How Israel’s archaeologists legitimize annexation

July 5, 2025

"The article below first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on July 5, 2025. The protest the article describes was a fitting way to mark US Independence Day, given the Trump administration’s intensified workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants. L.A. has been the epicenter of many such protests over the last month since the White House picked the city to launch its aggressive dragnet, carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, targeting millions of workers across the country.

As a recent article published by the Washington Post revealed, ICE arrests have more than doubled since Trump took office in January, compared to the same period last year."

Los Angeles: Thousands Denounce ICE Raids in July 4 Protest - World-Outlook

This article describes a pro-immigrant protest in Los Angeles on July 4. It was a fitting way to mark U.S. Independence Day, given the Trump administration’s intensified workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants. L.A.

^{world-outlook.com (World-Outlook)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/32817365

July 5, 2025

"The article below first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on July 5, 2025. The protest the article describes was a fitting way to mark US Independence Day, given the Trump administration’s intensified workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants. L.A. has been the epicenter of many such protests over the last month since the White House picked the city to launch its aggressive dragnet, carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, targeting millions of workers across the country.

As a recent article published by the Washington Post revealed, ICE arrests have more than doubled since Trump took office in January, compared to the same period last year."

Peter Link

2025-07-07 11:18:22

Los Angeles: Thousands Denounce ICE Raids in July 4 Protest

July 5, 2025

"The article below first appeared in the Los Angeles Times on July 5, 2025. The protest the article describes was a fitting way to mark US Independence Day, given the Trump administration’s intensified workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants. L.A. has been the epicenter of many such protests over the last month since the White House picked the city to launch its aggressive dragnet, carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, targeting millions of workers across the country.

As a recent article published by the Washington Post revealed, ICE arrests have more than doubled since Trump took office in January, compared to the same period last year."

Los Angeles: Thousands Denounce ICE Raids in July 4 Protest - World-Outlook

This article describes a pro-immigrant protest in Los Angeles on July 4. It was a fitting way to mark U.S. Independence Day, given the Trump administration’s intensified workplace raids and deportations of undocumented immigrants. L.A.

^{world-outlook.com (World-Outlook)}

The evolution of drone shows, a concept that went from an art collective experiment in de-fanging warfare tech to a municipal favorite in record time.

Drone Shows: From Novelties To Mainstream In Record Time

^{Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.}

This is an op-ed by Jennifer Parker, a defence and national security expert associate at the ANU’s National Security College. She has served for more than 20 years as a warfare officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

[...]

A major flaw in Australia’s Taiwan debate is the simplistic “will we or won’t we intervene?” framing, which assumes any conflict would be confined to Taiwan. In reality, an invasion would be far more complex. The Taiwan Strait’s geography, weather and Taiwan’s defences already make it a formidable task. That challenge is amplified by expected US and Japanese intervention from bases in Japan and the Philippines, forces China would try to neutralise pre-emptively.

Any invasion would almost certainly immediately trigger a broader regional conflict involving one of Australia’s key allies and at least two of its closest security partners. In a region-wide conflict, Australia’s national security interests would be jeopardised, and it would have little choice but to respond. Its key role would be defending Australia and its sea lines of communication.

[...]

Staying on the sidelines would be inconsistent with our national interests. Australia’s security, including maritime trade, would be directly threatened. Not to mention Australia’s obligations under the 1951 ANZUS Treaty.

It would also seriously damage Australia’s credibility with key security partners and regional neighbours. Moreover, if China resorts to force against Taiwan, it is unlikely to stop there. Beijing is also engaged in maritime and territorial disputes with South-East Asian states and South Korea and Japan. A successful invasion would embolden further aggression.

A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would not be an isolated act – it would trigger a regional conflict with direct consequences for Australia’s security. An invasion may not be imminent or inevitable, but China’s clear preparations demand serious attention. Australia must invest in its own defence – not because war is certain, but because deterrence depends on capability. And if deterrence fails, we must be ready to defend our vital interests.

[...]

As China prepares to invade Taiwan, a reality check: sitting on the sidelines won’t help us

Australia must prepare. China attacking Taiwan is not inevitable, but if it happens, it will become a wide-ranging Indo-Pacific conflict.

^{Jennifer Parker (The Sydney Morning Herald)}

In recent weeks, the US State Department implemented a policy requiring all university, technical training, or exchange program visa applicants to disclose their social media handles used over the past five years. The policy also requires these applicants to set their profiles to public.

This move is an example of governments treating a person’s digital persona as their political identity. In doing so, they risk punishing lawful expression, targeting minority voices, and redefining who gets to cross borders based on how they behave online.

Anyone seeking one of these visas will have their social media searched for “indications of hostility” towards the citizens, culture or founding principles of the United States. This enhanced vetting is supposed to ensure the US does not admit anyone who may be deemed a threat.

However, this policy changes how a person’s online presence is evaluated in visa applications and raises many ethical concerns. These include concerns around privacy, freedom of expression, and the politicisation of digital identities.

New US visa rules will force foreign students to unlock social media profiles

Diplomats to look for ‘indications of hostility towards citizens, culture or founding principles of United States’

^{Andrew Roth (The Guardian)}

Mobile money allows people without banks to securely transfer funds via text message, and its adoption is growing rapidly.

By the end of today, you'll probably have used your bank account — maybe to buy groceries, pay rent, or send money to a friend. Even better, to receive your salary. It's something many of us take for granted.

However, for more than a billion people globally, transactions only happen with cash. That means carrying around physical notes and coins, traveling long distances just to send or receive money, and facing the constant risk of losing it or having it stolen. The absence of formal banking services adds yet another hurdle for people trying to escape poverty.

But in recent years, “mobile money” has transformed how many people access financial services. Mobile money differs from traditional bank accounts; you don’t need a physical bank branch or even an Internet connection. Instead, you use text messages for services like deposits, transfers, and payments via a mobile phone. In this sense, it’s not the same as standard Internet banking, which many of us now use for most transactions.

Many people might be unfamiliar with how mobile money works, so let me briefly explain. You dial a short code for the mobile money provider, choose “send money”, and enter the recipient’s phone number (which serves as their account number). Next, type the amount and your secure PIN. That’s it — both the sender and recipient get an SMS confirmation within seconds. If you need to add funds to your mobile money account or retrieve your PIN, you can visit a local mobile money agent, often found in small shops or kiosks, which can be easier to reach than traditional banks.

There are now more than half a billion mobile money accounts in the world, mostly in Africa — here's why this matters

^{Simon van Teutem (Our World in Data)}