TV News LIES

Newly disclosed records reveal the US government extensively spied on prominent leftwing organizations and on protesters as part of a vast operation into groups opposing the immigration crackdown in Minnesota earlier this year.

Internal investigative reports show the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sent undercover agents to community meetings in the Twin Cities and New York City, infiltrated Signal chats and obtained financial records of mainstream unions and left-leaning non-profit groups.

Nearly 30 internal law enforcement reports were released on Thursday as part of a criminal case the Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed against 15 Minneapolis protesters. The defendants are accused of a “conspiracy” to “impede” US immigration officers during the Trump administration’s surge in the region.

The DHS investigative reports were disclosed by the government and submitted to the court by an attorney for one of the defendants. The records show that in January, DHS launched an inquiry called “Operation Puppet Master” to identify a “network of conspirators” organizing against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The operation came as community organizing against ICE was swelling in the region in response to the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

More...

Since Andy Burnham became prime minister, there has been a serious shift in approach to British foreign policy.

But so far none of it has been made public, beyond a change in the rhetoric of government ministers.

This is set to change after parliament's summer recess.

The government is poised to announce a raft of new policies in September, multiple Whitehall and civil society sources told Middle East Eye.

These policies are still under discussion, but are set to include a ban on goods from illegal Israeli settlements.

Sources said discussions are underway in the Foreign Office over whether the measures will involve legal sanctions for companies and organisations that have business or other links with settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.

This comes as the Charity Commission, the UK's charity regulator, is investigating several British charities accused of sending money to settlements.

More...

Mike Lindell, the pillow salesman, Trump supporter and election denier, has refused to concede defeat in Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary, despite trailing by a double-digit margin the morning after polls closed.

The Associated Press called the race for Lisa Demuth, the Minnesota House speaker, late on Tuesday night.

With almost all votes counted, Demuth was more than 45,000 votes ahead of Lindell, who had the backing of Donald Trump, beating him by 43.4% to 32.5%.

Businessman Kendall Qualls, backed by the Republican state party, was trailing in third.

Told by a reporter on his own streaming channel, LindellTV, that the AP had declared the race over, Lindell dismissed the wire service outright. Asked why he wouldn’t accept the call, he questioned the AP’s authority to determine the outcome and insisted hundreds of thousands of votes remained uncounted.

More...

Russian authorities declared a state of emergency in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk on Wednesday following a large-scale Ukrainian attack that damaged infrastructure, disrupted the water supply, and sparked multiple fires.

Novorossiysk Mayor Andrei Kravchenko announced the measure after authorities lifted a drone alert that had remained in effect overnight.

“A state of emergency has been declared in Novorossiysk,” Kravchenko wrote on Telegram.

“After the threat of a drone attack was lifted, I went to the damaged sites to assess the situation and speak with residents.”

An emergency command center was established to coordinate response operations, while crews searched affected areas for drone debris and began clearing damaged sites, Kravchenko said.

More...

Military families and Congress members are sounding the alarm about an intensifying mental health crisis onboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, as its 5,000 sailors and marines endure a record-breaking deployment at sea tied to the war with Iran.

Two leading specialist military papers, the Navy Times and Stars and Stripes, are reporting that there have been multiple attempts by sailors to jump overboard as poor conditions and mental stresses on the Lincoln reach the breaking point. The crew is in its ninth month at sea, and has spent 250 days consecutively without making land – a record for an aircraft carrier in modern times.

Worried families vented their anxieties about loved ones onboard the Lincoln at an emotional town hall meeting with navy leaders in San Diego last Thursday, Stars and Stripes reported. One spouse among the 200 or so family members said that her husband had texted her that day saying “he hopes he doesn’t wake up tomorrow”.

The families’ worries were expressed directly to navy leadership, represented at the town hall by the acting navy secretary, Hung Cao, and other top officials.

More...

Two soldiers were killed on Aug. 12 when a U.S. Army helicopter crashed in a field in central Texas, sparking a large grass fire and prompting evacuations, authorities said.

Authorities received 911 calls at about 1:34 p.m. local time reporting a helicopter crash in an area south of Salado, a community about 30 miles southeast of Fort Hood, the Bell County Sheriff's Office said. Responding deputies found the wreckage of a helicopter and a grass fire that was "out of control," according to Cliff Coleman, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office.

The two soldiers aboard the helicopter were pronounced dead at 2:30 p.m. local time, Coleman said. Officials are withholding the soldiers' names until their families have been notified.

"It crashed into a field, and you could tell it was a violent crash," Coleman said during a news conference, adding that the helicopter did not strike any homes or other structures, and no other injuries were reported.

More...

President Donald Trump said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her position at the end of the month to spend more time with her family, a departure that opens up one of the White House's most visible roles.

Trump announced Leavitt's exit in an Aug. 12 post on Truth Social, calling her "one of my most trusted aides" and "wonderful." He said he understands and respects her decision, adding that Leavitt will remain one of his top outside advisers and an influential voice within the Republican Party.

"Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!" Trump said.

Leavitt, 28, the youngest press secretary in White House history, has served in the role for Trump's entire second term. Known for her combative and energetic communications style behind the podium, Leavitt has often set the tone for the White House's handling of a wide-range of issues.

More...

A body representing Palestinian citizens of Israel has condemned what it called an “obsessive campaign of incitement” by Israeli ministers against Arab medical staff in recent days.

The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel was referring to comments by Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who called for an investigation into allegations that Arab medical workers mistreated wounded Israeli soldiers.

The claims were made by relatives of a soldier wounded in Lebanon and treated at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa.

Yehoshua Shani, chairman of a forum that opposes the Gaza ceasefire and supports continuing the war, claimed his nephew was mistreated by Arab staff at the hospital.

More...