TV News LIES

The State Department on Tuesday officially terminated the employment of approximately 200 foreign service members as part of a reduction in force (RIF), part of more than 1,300 layoffs at the agency over the past year.

State framed the layoffs as part of what the Trump administration describes as an “historic” reorganization at the agency.

But terminated foreign and civil service officers and their supporters – Democratic lawmakers in particular – allege that these firings are illegal because they targeted employees in their temporary positions.

Foreign Service Officers (FSO) are classified as commissioned officers, ranked in their experience and trained as a flexible, nonpartisan, world-wide workforce to address the needs of the department as they evolve, and when an administration changes.

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Russia’s Defense Ministry announced a unilateral truce for Victory Day, declaring a pause in fighting from May 8 to May 9, while warning it would carry out a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine attempts to disrupt celebrations in Moscow.

According to the BBC’s Russian service, the truce was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to coincide with the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, marked annually on May 9, Ukrinform reported on Monday.

At the same time, Russian officials warned of retaliation if Moscow’s military parade is threatened.

The Defense Ministry said that if Ukraine tries to “implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” Russian forces would respond with a missile strike on central Kyiv.

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Ukraine on Sunday launched a wave of strikes against Russian oil targets, hitting a key loading port on the Baltic Sea and two tankers that Ukraine alleges were illegally used to transport Russian crude.

A nighttime drone strike sparked a blaze at Russia’s largest oil exporting port on the Baltic Sea, the port of Primorsk, according to Russian regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko.

The port, operated by Russia’s state oil firm Transneft, is capable of handling hundreds of thousands of barrels per day. Primorsk, which was targeted multiple times in March, lies over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Ukraine, between the Russian-Finnish border and Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg.

Local Gov. Drozdenko said that the drone strike did not cause an oil spill, but gave no immediate further comment regarding casualties or damage.

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Almost everyone, at this point, has heard of AIPAC, it seems. The Israel-first lobby has made itself notorious through its hardline stance – and has become an increasingly toxic name in American politics, particularly on the Democratic side of the aisle. But that’s where AIPAC’s lesser-known counterpart, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), hopes to fill the gap being created as Democrats forswear AIPAC funding.

Founded in 2019 in the wake of Donald Trump’s election and dismantling of the US-Iran deal negotiated by the Obama administration – both of which many Democrats saw as having been supported by AIPAC – DMFI sends a softer message: It supports a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine. And it is sometimes critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But make no mistake – it is here to shore up the flagging (one might say, evaporating) support for Israel among Democrats, through lobbying and, via its sister organization DMFI PAC, with political spending that totals over $25 million since its founding.

As DMFI PAC’s webpage explains, the organization “works to elect pro-Israel Democrats up and down the ballot and defeat those few anti-Israel Democratic candidates” – a description it rounds off by explaining that “being pro-Israel isn’t only good policy, it’s also good politics.” That’s a catchphrase that will surely be familiar to long-time AIPAC watchers. And if there was any remaining doubt, it’s worth noting that not only are some of DMFI PAC’s biggest contributors are also top contributors to AIPAC, but also that DMFI and AIPAC often back the same candidates.

AIPAC lists on its website a series of supposed benefits the US receives as a result of its relationship with Israel – a series of myths that we responded to with the actual facts here.

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The United States reportedly delivered around 6,500 tons of weapons and military equipment to Israel within 24 hours, in a large-scale logistics operation involving sea and air transport.

The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday, April 30, citing Israel’s Defense Ministry, that the shipment included thousands of air and ground munitions, military trucks, and other equipment.

Two cargo ships docked at the Port of Ashdod and the Port of Haifa, while additional supplies were transported by cargo aircraft.

The operation was coordinated between Israel’s Defense Ministry and Washington, with equipment distributed to Israeli military bases across the country.

According to the ministry, Israel has received more than 115,600 tons of military equipment through over 400 airlifts and multiple sea deliveries since the start of its ongoing conflict with Iran.

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Israel is preparing to spend nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars on its propaganda arm as it seeks to counter a worsening global image shaped by the genocide in Gaza and regional wars, according to its national budget passed in March.

First reported by The Jerusalem Post, a total of $730m has been allocated to the national public diplomacy directorate, known by its Hebrew name Hasbara, which oversees Israeli propaganda.

The figure marks a sharp increase from the $150m set aside the previous year, which had already surged to roughly 20 times pre-2023 levels.

The scale of the spending points to an intensified effort to improve Israel’s international standing as negative perceptions grow, including in allied countries such as the United States.

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