Working Families Party role in NYC Dem mayoral primary reeks of illegal election interference

 For all the sniffing over various campaign no-no’s in this year’s mayoral race, the biggest one of all has passed without notice: The Working Families Party’s open efforts to decide the Democratic Party’s primary.

This is far different from a cross-endorsement in the general election, far closer to subversion or a hostile takeover.

Yes, everyone in local politics knows the WFP was basically founded to drag the Democrats left, but that was supposed to be via the same outside pressure the state Conservatives have deployed on the Republican Party.

But the WFP’s official announcement of its ranked-choice preferences in the Democratic primary crosses a clear line: It’s one thing for a Democratic faction (such as the Democratic Socialists) to endorse, another for an outside group to do so.

The laws say only a party’s registered voters get to decide, yet an outside party is announcing its plan “to consolidate support around its slate of candidates.”

Even though the WFP has its own ballot line in November’s general election.

As we noted in April, this takeover is further empowered by the city’s cockamamie public-campaign-finance and ranked-choice-voting laws, even though those “reforms” were sold as boosting outsiders.

Campaign-finance-board rules don’t even require the WFP to disclose what it’s spending to influence the Dems’ primary!

Somehow, the “closed” Democratic primary has become an open one, with the WFP privileged to interfere with zero accountability.

The WFP complains that “the American political system is rigged to favor the two major parties,” but it sure looks like New York’s system is rigged to favor the WFP.

Some Democrats have long questioned the WFP’s involvement in Dem primaries, but party leaders shut down any discussion because they benefit from the corrupt process.

Now that the violations are careening out of control, maybe they’re having second thoughts.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/04/opinion/lefty-working-families-partys-involvement-in-nyc-dem-mayoral-primary-reeks-of-illegal-election-interference/

US Warns Britain & France Not To Recognize Palestinian State

 Via Middle East Eye

The US has warned Britain and France against recognizing a Palestinian state at a UN conference later this month, Middle East Eye can reveal.

France and Saudi Arabia are set to co-host a major UN conference on the two-state solution beginning on June 17 in New York. France is reportedly gearing up to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at the conference. MEE understands that France has been lobbying Britain to do so as well.

French officials believe the British government is onboard with the plan, according to French media. But Washington privately begun to warn Britain and France against unilaterally recognizing Palestine, sources with knowledge of the matter in the British Foreign Office told MEE.

At the same time Arab states are urging them to proceed with the move, sources said. In late May, UN member states held consultations in preparation for the conference during which the Arab Group urged states to recognize Palestinian statehood.

The Arab Group said they would measure the success of the conference by whether significant states recognize Palestine, Foreign Office sources added.

'No grounds for US interference'

Approached for comment, the Foreign Office pointed MEE to Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s statement on May 20 in which he reaffirmed UK support for a two-state solution.

Lammy has publicly opposed unilateral recognition, insisting earlier this year that the UK would only recognize a Palestinian state "when we know it’s going to happen and it’s in sight."

But in late April, Lammy acknowledged for the first time that Britain was in discussion with France and Saudi Arabia on the topic. 

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, told MEE: "There are no legitimate grounds for the US to interfere in a sovereign decision by Britain and France to recognize another state."

"A Franco-British recognition would be to acknowledge the Palestinian right to nationhood and to be equal partners in any future negotiations with Israel." Doyle added: "Based on precedent with this British government, US objection to recognition would be more likely to have an impact on Britain than on France."

But the American president is unpredictable. "What really counts is what President Trump himself thinks," Doyle said.  "Opposing unilateral recognition is an existing American position."

"But if I was in Downing Street, I would be asking what does the president himself believe - and how will he react?" If France and Britain go ahead with the move, they will become the first G7 nations to recognize a Palestinian state.

Alon Pinkas, who advised four Israeli foreign ministers, told MEE on Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron’s push to recognize Palestinian statehood "is serious and has the backing of most of the European Union and Saudi Arabia."

The move would cause a political earthquake, since both France and Britain are among Israel's most important historic allies. And Israel has signaled it would not take the move lying down.

Last week Ron Dermer, Israel's strategic affairs minister, threatened Britain and France that Israel may annex parts of the West Bank if they recognize a Palestinian state, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

MEE revealed earlier this month that Britain privately decided in 2014 it would consider recognizing a Palestinian state if Israel advanced with the contentious E1 settlement project. Israel is currently poised to move forward with the settlement plan, which would effectively split the occupied West Bank in two.

Meanwhile, domestic pressure is ramping up in Britain. "Starmer is facing significant levels of anger throughout the entirety of the Labour party and the British public," Doyle said, "even in circles that would ordinarily support the Israeli government."

Several MPs told MEE last month they believe the UK must recognize a Palestinian state immediately. Labour MP Uma Kumaran, a member of Britain's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: "This government was elected on a manifesto that promised to recognize Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. "I strongly support the recognition of a Palestinian state, and I have raised this repeatedly in parliament, on the Foreign Affairs Committee and with ministers."

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-warns-uk-france-not-recognize-palestinian-state

Syrian Islamist Leader Sharaa Will Speak At UN

 The Islamist group which rules Syria from Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has long been designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, US and UK. But once the hardline group toppled Assad, things changed rapidly.

The group's leader and self-declared interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa (Abu Mohammed al-Jolani) until very recently had a $10 million bounty on his head. In May, President Trump met with Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, praising his "very strong past" - after which US sanctions on Syria were dropped. That 'strong past' was terrorism plain and simple, including attacks on civilians and overseeing Sharia executions in AQ-held Idlib provice.

A week before the Gulf meeting with Trump, Sharaa had suggested the idea of building a Trump Tower in Damascus. Since then, Sharaa has engaged with several US delegations, pushing for positive relations amid an effort to present a 'moderated' and 'reformed' leadership, despite that Jolani had even been part of ISIS early in the Syrian proxy war.

This is why a headline which emerged Tuesday is absurd and shocking: the man who founded the Syrian al-Qaeda group Al-Nusra Front is coming to America.

Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, via Orient News TV

One international report says:

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit New York in September to participate in the United Nations General Assembly, according to Sky News Arabic.

Reports of Sharaa’s intention to address the UN have emerged in Arabic-language media in recent weeks.

This would mark the first time a Syrian president has addressed the UN since June 1967, when Nureddin al-Atassi did so after Israel’s victory in the Six Day War.

Earlier this week, the US endorsed Sharaa's controversial proposal to integrate thousands of foreign jihadists from his group, HTS, into the Syrian military. This is tantamount to Washington nodding in agreement with a plan to regularize global jihadists in the heart of the Middle East.

However, Sharaa has certainly not been universally welcomed even in the region. In April, Iraq invited him to the Arab League summit in Baghdad, but his past as a senior member of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) led to strong opposition, given AQI is responsible for thousands of brutal killings of Iraqi civilians.

Sharaa chose not to attend the Arab League amid the pressure, and his reported upcoming visit to the UN in New York City could provoke similar resistance. The legal loop hole in all this is that despite his terrorism past, US law allows for sitting heads of state to attend UN headquarters in NY City. And this question is somewhat moot anyway, given that President Trump has already full embraced him, during last month's Riyadh visit.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/coming-america-syrian-islamist-leader-sharaa-will-speak-un

'Singapore’s AAA Bills Offer an Opportunity for US Carry Trade'

 

Some of the safest assets in Asia offer investors a yield pickup to Treasuries in the wake of the US losing its last AAA credit rating.

Investors looking to rotate out of the dollar and into Asia can buy securities issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, which is using them to steer the amount of cash in the banking system. Three-month MAS bills offer yield of about 13 basis points over similar-tenor US government debt when currency-hedging costs are taken into account, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-05/singapore-s-aaa-bills-offer-an-opportunity-for-us-carry-trade

Foreign-Made Explosives Used In Railway Terrorist Attacks: Kremlin

 Russia’s Investigative Committee chief, Aleksandr Bastrykin, on Wednesday stated that explosives used in the deadly attack on two railway bridges in southern Russia over the weekend were foreign-made.

One of the blasts killed seven civilians, and was reportedly orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services. Bastrykin spoke at a briefing with Russian President Vladimir Putin and top officials, where he said the attacks were "beyond any doubt" arranged by Ukrainian intelligence, and possibly with foreign help.

The "evidence collected by the investigators directly points to [the fact] that all three terrorist attacks [in Bryansk and Kursk regions] were beyond any doubt arranged by Ukrainian special services," Russia's RT translates.

Bastrykin further described amid an ongoing investigation the following, per state media:

Bastrykin reported that between May 20 and May 25, Russian security services were conducting an operation in Bryansk Region against a group of Ukrainian saboteurs. He revealed that during the raid, the authorities uncovered a cache containing 13kg of similar plastic explosives and Ukrainian-made remote detonators.

The official estimated the material damage caused by the explosions at over 1 billion rubles ($13mn).

Railway authorities said of the Bryansk incident that "illegal interference" was the cause, with regional governor Alexander Bogomaz saying a bridge had been "blown up".

CNN had additionally detailed that "The bridge came down in the region’s Vygonichi district, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border, crushing the moving train and injuring at least 66 people, including three children, Russian authorities reported."

Ukrainians or their agents blew up a bridge in Bryansk oblast right as a passenger train was passing underneath. Train crashed, badly. At least forty injured, several dead, some still trapped inside the train. Unconfirmed first reports suggest four IEDs destroyed the bridge. pic.twitter.com/os0IEX3rIZ

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) May 31, 2025

Russian state media has further given 'sabotage' as the reason for the train derailments: 

Videos circulating in Telegram show a crushed train carriage with passengers being evacuated through shattered windows, and emergency services responding at the scene. The collapse also reportedly affected vehicles on the bridge, which fell onto the railway below.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) reported that fire and rescue units are actively working at the site of the bridge collapse. “All necessary assistance is being provided to the victims. Additional MChS forces, emergency rescue equipment, and lighting towers for nighttime operations have been deployed to the area,” the ministry noted in an official statement. 

Russian media sources published videos of bystanders of the scene of a major train derailment, showing a chaotic scene of confusion and overturned rail cars.

While waiting for confirmed details of drone strikes on Russia's strategic bomber fleet and terrorist attacks on civilian passenger trains, remember...

... US media (NYT) already admitted the US runs Ukrainian intel, with US CIA bases established all across Ukraine training… pic.twitter.com/7YgFe1qfMR

— Brian Berletic (@BrianJBerletic) June 1, 2025

The timing of the railway bridge attacks appeared coordinated with the large drone swarm attacks from Ukraine on Sunday, dubbed 'Operation Spider's Web'. Ukrainian officials have previously stated their goal is to create chaos and instability within Russia through covert sabotage ops, hoping that it would undermine society and ultimately destabilize the government and President Putin’s rule. Moscow has warned that full retaliation is coming, but it is clearly taking its time in terms of planning reprisal strikes.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/foreign-made-explosives-used-railway-terrorist-attacks-kremlin

Ship Carrying 800 EVs Abandoned In Pacific After Fire Breaks Out

On Tuesday, the Morning Midas—a roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vehicle carrier—was abandoned by its crew in the central Pacific Ocean following an onboard fire, according to a Bloomberg report. 

The vessel was transporting approximately 3,000 vehicles, including an estimated 800 electric vehicles (EVs). The fire’s origin has not been confirmed, though lithium-ion battery ignition remains a possible cause given the cargo profile and previous mid-sea incidents involving EVs (see here & here). 

Morning Midas had departed China in late May with a scheduled port call in Mexico, according to Bloomberg data. 

The US Coast Guard evacuated all 22 crew members from the RoRo carrier to a nearby merchant vessel earlier today. Coast Guard sea-based assets are en route to the incident area.

The ship’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, confirmed that smoke was billowing from the deck. A company spokesperson said salvage support teams are en route.

Insurance giant Allianz has long emphasized the need to strengthen safety protocols for all maritime shipments involving lithium-ion batteries given the proliferation of green tech around the world. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/ship-carrying-800-evs-abandoned-pacific-after-fire-breaks-out

FBI arrests man at JFK Airport linked to fertility clinic bombing

 

• • The FBI has arrested a man at JFK Airport in connection with an explosion of a California fertility clinic, officials said.
  • The arrest stems from an apparent car bomb detonation last month by a man who authorities said had nihilistic writings.
  • A senior FBI official called the explosion possibly the "largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California."

The FBI has made an arrest at John F. Kennedy International Airport in connection with an explosion of a Palm Springs, California fertility clinic, FBI officials said Wednesday.

Mugshot of Daniel Park obtained by FOX News.

What we know:

Daniel Park, 32, was taken into custody on Tuesday night at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport after being deported from Poland, where he'd traveled four days after the bombing, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli told reporters.

Federal authorities allege Park shipped 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate to Guy Edward Bartkus, 25, who bombed the clinic and was killed in the blast. The chemical compound is an explosive precursor that can be used to make homemade bombs, Essayli said.

Park traveled earlier this year to Twentynine Palms, California where he and Bartkus conducted experiments in bomb-making. authorities said.

 

Park and Bartkus met in online forums dedicated to the anti-natalist movement, bonding over a "shared belief that people shouldn’t exist," said Akil Davis, the FBI's assistant director in charge.

The backstory:

The arrest stems from an apparent car bomb detonation of a fertility clinic last month by a man who authorities said had nihilistic writings. The FBI identified Guy Edward Bartkus as the suspect and said he was believed to have died in the explosion. A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic.

Officials said at the time that they were investigating whether Bartkus had any help.

The blast gutted the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic in Palms Springs and shattered the windows of nearby buildings along a palm tree-lined street. Witnesses described a loud boom followed by a chaotic scene, with people screaming in terror and glass strewn along the sidewalk and street.

A senior FBI official called the explosion possibly the "largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California."

Bartku attempted to livestream the explosion and left behind writings that communicated "nihilistic ideations" that were still being examined to determine his state of mind, the FBI said. U.S. Attorney Bilal "Bill" Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, called the message "anti-pro-life."

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nyc-jfk-airport-arrest-california-fertility-clinic-explosion-fbi