Nightmare of Jerusalem Parts I and II

Press TV (2025)

Film Review

Nightmare of Jerusalem is an intriguing 8-part series about Iran’s long and complicated relationship with Israel. The first three episodes relate specifically to Iran’s April 13 missile attack on Israel, in retaliation for their April 1 bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The last five episodes relate to Israel’s complex relationship with Shah Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi; the Iranian role in the Palestinian resistance and the birth of Hezbollah in Lebanon; the systematic efforts by the Mossad and the CIA to weaken the Islamic Republic of Iran via funding and arming Kurdish rebels, funding the Iran-Iraq War and numerous attempts to instigate an Iranian color revolution via the Green Movement (aka the Green Wave of Iran, aka the Persian Spring); and finally the Irangate scandal, in which the Reagan administration secretly sold weapons to Iran weapons via Israeli intermediaries.

Part I

Part I provides background on the development of Iran’s missile systems and Israel’s US-supplied missile defense system. In considering a target 2,000 km beyond their border, Iran’s rocket scientists also have to allow for the major anti-missile system the US has installed in Iraq* and Turkey and the sea-based anti-missile systems on US and UK naval vessels in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. They also risk the possibility that the UAE, Saudi Arabia or Yemen could shoot their missiles down as the three Arab countries have supplied Israel a long route for food and other essential supplies now that the Houthis have effectively blockaded their ports.

*After Trump ordered the 2020 drone strike assassination of Iranian general Suleimani, Iran retaliated with a missile attack on US bases in Iraq. This led the US to significantly increase its Iraqi anti-missile defenses in Iraq.

Part II

Part II is an extremely detailed discussion of the large inventory of rockets in Iran’s missile program, starting with their Scud missiles, which Iran reverse engineered from the Scuds Saddam Hussein fired at them during the Iran-Iraq war. Some of their more advanced missiles include hypersonic missiles (developed with Russian assistance), lightweight carbon fiber missiles, cruise missiles (which avoid detection by flying at low altitude), and missiles that avoid radar detection by using solid fuel, making U-turns and carrying detachable hard-to-detect warheads.

Caitlin Johnstone

After a year and a half of genocidal atrocities, the editorial boards of numerous British press outlets have suddenly come out hard against Israel’s onslaught in Gaza.

The first drop of rain came last week from The Financial Times in a piece by the editorial board titled “The west’s shameful silence on Gaza,” which denounces the US and Europe for having “issued barely a word of condemnation” of their ally’s criminality, saying they “should be ashamed of their silence, and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity.”

Then came The Economist with a piece titled “The war in Gaza must end,” which argues that Trump should pressure the Netanyahu regime for a ceasefire, saying that “The only people who benefit from continuing the war are Mr Netanyahu, who keeps his coalition intact, and his far-right allies, who dream of emptying Gaza and rebuilding Jewish settlements there.”

On Saturday came an editorial from The Independent titled “End the deafening silence on Gaza — it is time to speak up,” arguing that British PM Keir Starmer “should be ashamed that he said nothing, especially since Mr Netanyahu has now announced new plans to expand the already devastating bombardment of Gaza,” and saying that “It is time for the world to wake up to what is happening and to demand an end to the suffering of the Palestinians trapped in the enclave.”

On Sunday The Guardian editorial board joined in with a write-up titled “The Guardian view on Israel and Gaza: Trump can stop this horror. The alternative is unthinkable,” saying “The US president has the leverage to force through a ceasefire. If he does not, he will implicitly signal approval of what looks like a plan of total destruction.”

“What is this, if not genocidal?” The Guardian asks. “When will the US and its allies act to stop the horror, if not now?”

To be clear, these are editorials, not op-eds. This means that they are not the expression of one person’s opinion but the stated position of each outlet as a whole. We’ve been seeing the occasional op-ed which is critical of Israel’s actions throughout the Gaza holocaust in the mainstream western press, but to see the actual outlets come out aggressively denouncing Israel and its western backers all at once is a very new development.

Some longtime Israel supporters have unexpectedly begun changing their tune as individuals as well.

Conservative MP Mark Pritchard said at the House of Commons last week that he had supported Israel “at all costs” for decades, but said “I got it wrong” and publicly withdrew that support over Israel’s actions in Gaza.

“For many years — I’ve been in this House twenty years — I have supported Israel pretty much at all costs, quite frankly,” Pritchard said. “But today, I want to say that I got it wrong and I condemn Israel for what it is doing to the Palestinian people in Gaza and indeed in the West Bank, and I’d like to withdraw my support right now for the actions of Israel, what they are doing right now in Gaza.”

“I’m really concerned that this is a moment in history when people look back, where we’ve got it wrong as a country,” Pritchard added.

[…]

Pro-Israel pundit Shaiel Ben-Ephraim, who had been aggressively denouncing campus protesters and accusing Israel’s critics of “blood libel” throughout the Gaza holocaust, has now come out and publicly admitted that Israel is committing a genocide which must be opposed.

“It took me a long time to get to this point, but it’s time to face it. Israel is committing genocide in Gaza,” Ephraim tweeted recently. “Between the indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, starvation of the population, plans for ethnic cleansing, slaughter of aid workers and cover ups, there is no escaping it. Israel is trying to eradicate the Palestinian people. We can’t stop it unless we admit it.”

It is odd that it has taken all these people a year and a half to get to this point. I myself have a much lower tolerance for genocide and the mass murder of children. If you’ve been riding the genocide train for nineteen months, it looks a bit weird to suddenly start screaming about how terrible it is and demanding to hit the brakes all of a sudden.

These people have not suddenly evolved a conscience, they’re just smelling what’s in the wind. Once the consensus shifts past a certain point there’s naturally going to be a mad rush to avoid being among the last to stand against it, because you know you’ll be wearing that mark for the rest of your life in public after history has had a clear look at what you did.

[…]

This is after all coming at a time when the Trump administration is beginning to rub Netanyahu’s fur the wrong way, recently prompting the Israeli prime minister to say “I think we’ll have to detox from US security assistance” when Washington went over Tel Aviv’s head and negotiated directly with Hamas to secure the release of an American hostage. The US is reportedly leaving Israel out of more and more of its negotiations on international affairs in places like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. Something is changing.

[…]

Via https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/multiple-western-press-outlets-have

Andrew Korybko

That would be a nightmare scenario from the perspective of Israeli interests.

A report circulated last week alleging that Trump cut off all direct contact with Bibi after feeling manipulated by him. For as sensational as it sounds, the larger context suggests that it might be true. For starters, there was bad blood between them since late 2020 after Trump reportedly felt betrayed by Bibi recognizing Biden’s electoral victory while Trump was still challenging it in the courts. This is a very personal issue for him seeing as how he continues to insist that he won so it wouldn’t be surprising.

More recently, Bibi has been pressuring Trump to bomb Iran, which Trump doesn’t want to do since a large-scale war in West Asia would offset his planned “Pivot (back) to Asia” for containing China. In connection with that, Trump reportedly dismissed former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz due to him supposedly coordinating too closely with Israel. Also of relevance are the rumors that Israel was caught off guard by the US’ resumption of talks with Iran and is against any agreement between them.

Then there’s the US’ recent deal with the Houthis that excludes Israel, reports that the US will delink Saudi recognition of Israel from their civil nuclear talks, and even speculation that Trump might recognize Palestine during his attendance at next week’s Gulf-US Summit in Riyadh. Altogether, it’s self-evident that US-Israeli ties are newly beset with a host of problems, thus lending credence to the earlier cited report about Trump cutting off all direct contact with Bibi.

Their rift might even be irreconcilable depending on Trump’s next steps. It was already bad enough from Israel’s perspective that the US reached its own deal with the Houthis right after they announced their plans to impose an air blockade on Israel but delinking Saudi recognition of Israel from their civil nuclear talks, let alone recognizing Palestine, could cross the Rubicon. In that scenario, Israel and the US would remain at odds during the rest of Trump’s term, and perhaps even afterwards if Vance succeeds him.

The consequences of that happening would widely reverberate throughout the region. Without the continued support of its oldest and most reliable ally, which is still the strongest and most influential country in the world despite the global systemic transition to multipolarity, Israel would be left alone to deal with threats from Iran and Turkiye. To make matters worse, it can’t be ruled out that the US might curtail or even suspend its military aid to Israel on whatever pretext, thus weakening its armed forces.

This combination of factors could lead to Israel wildly lashing out against its regional adversaries in desperation before it loses its military-strategic advantages, which could spark a large-scale war, or being coerced into a series of compromises that accelerates the loss of these selfsame advantages. From the viewpoint of Israeli interests, this a zero-sum dilemma that it must avoid at all costs, yet Trump’s potentially irreconcilable rift with Bibi could turn this nightmare scenario into a fait accompli.

Nevertheless, as Trump’s unexpected reconciliation with Zelensky shows, there’s always the chance that their tensions could be overcome. For that to happen, however, Bibi would likely have to give Trump something of equivalent strategic value to Zelensky’s minerals deal. It’s unclear what that might be, and it could come too late to stop the US from delinking Saudi recognition of Israel from their civil nuclear talks and/or recognizing Palestine, but Bibi would do well to make Trump a peace offering pronto.

[…]

Via https://korybko.substack.com/p/trumps-rift-with-bibi-might-be-irreconcilable

By Jim Hoft

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) has officially introduced legislation to repeal the infamous USA PATRIOT Act, a cornerstone of post-9/11 surveillance expansion that many constitutional conservatives have long blasted as an all-out assault on civil liberties.

Dubbed the “American Privacy Restoration Act,” the bill aims to undo the sweeping surveillance powers granted to the federal government under the original 2001 legislation, which turned American citizens into perpetual suspects in their own country.

“I introduced the “American Privacy Restoration Act” to FULLY REPEAL the Patriot Act and strip rogue intelligence officers of their extraordinary mass surveillance powers. Since the passage of the USA Patriot Act in the aftermath of 9/11, intelligence agency officials have used their mass surveillance tools to settle personal scores, interfere in elections, and spy on untold numbers of innocent Americans. This abuse must come to an end!”

[…]

According to the press release:

“Today, U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) introduced the “American Privacy Restoration Act.” The legislation, if enacted, would fully repeal the USA PATRIOT Act, commonly referred to as simply the “Patriot Act,” a sweeping post-9/11 law long criticized for enabling an unprecedented expansion of government surveillance.

“For over two decades, rogue actors within our U.S. intelligence agencies have used the Patriot Act to create the most sophisticated, unaccountable surveillance apparatus in the Western world,” said Congresswoman Luna.

“My legislation will strip the deep state of these tools and protect every American’s fourth amendment right against unreasonable searches and seizures. It’s past time to rein in our intelligence agencies and restore the right to privacy. Anyone trying to convince you otherwise is using ‘security’ as an excuse to erode your freedom.”

The USA PATRIOT Act, passed just over a month after the September 11 attacks, granted federal agencies broad authority to collect personal data, conduct surveillance, and detain individuals with limited judicial oversight. Since being enacted, there have been numerous whistleblower reports of rampant abuse of Patriot Act powers by U.S. intelligence agencies.

[…]

Via https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/rep-anna-paulina-luna-introduces-bill-repeal-usa/

Bulk carrier Ever Radiance, fully loaded with Brazilian soybeans weighing 69,704 tons, slowly sails into the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and docks at the terminal on April 24, 2025, in East China’s Zhejiang Province. Photo: VCG

Global Times

China and the US kicked off on Saturday a high-level meeting on economic and trade affairs in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting will continue on Sunday, a CGTN report revealed on Sunday.

China moved to accelerate the replacement of US products before the high-level China-US trade talks in Switzerland, Yuyuantantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV reported on Saturday.

China signed letters of intent with exporters of Argentina to purchase soybeans, corn, and vegetable oil shortly before the Geneva talks, according to Yuyuantantian. Rui Costa, chief of staff of the Presidency of Brazil, also visited China in late April, said the report.

Brazil expressed a desire to build sustainable, long-term, and actionable partnerships with China to jointly navigate an increasingly complex and volatile global environment, according to Yuyuantantian.

Earlier in April, China signed contracts to purchase at least 2.4 million tons of soybeans from Brazil—a volume equivalent to nearly one-third of China’s average monthly soybean imports, the Yuyuantantian report said.

The report noted that these moves underscore China’s efforts to secure alternative sources of US goods before the bilateral trade meeting started.

China signed a letter of intent with exporters in Argentina to buy about $900 million of soybeans, corn and vegetable oil, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

A delegation from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) visited Argentina on Wednesday and met with officials in charge of international trade and agricultural markets from the South American country, according to a statement posted on the council’s website Thursday.

The Chinese delegates also held talks with local business representatives, focusing on expanding bilateral economic and trade cooperation and defending the free trading system. CCPIT and the Argentine Chamber of Commerce for Asia and the Pacific also signed a memorandum of understanding, per the CCPIT statement.

Despite the headwinds posed by escalating US tariffs, China’s foreign trade performed better than expected in April.

According to data released by the General Administration of Customs, while exports to the US fell 21 percent year-on-year to about $33 billion last month, overall Chinese exports rose 8.1 percent, with exports to non-US markets increasing 13 percent.

Over the first four months of the year, the year-on-year increase in China’s exports to non-US markets was roughly 20 times the year-on-year decrease in exports to the US.

Via https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202505/1333776.shtml

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis today said he will sign a bill banning the addition of fluoride to public drinking water, making Florida the second state to end the practice. The ban will take effect July 1.

Senate Bill 700, known as the “Florida Farm Bill,” passed the state House last week 88-27, sending the bill to the governor’s desk. The bill prevents “the use of certain additives in a water system.”

In a press conference, DeSantis said Florida is ending fluoridation because, “When you do this in the water supply, you’re taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have overexposure to fluoride.”

He said research shows the chemical has serious negative health consequences for children and pregnant women.

“We don’t want local governments unilaterally injecting a chemical into the water supply and exposing people to potentially harmful side effects,” he added.

He also said people can add fluoride to their water at home if they want to.

DeSantis was joined at the press conference by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.

Last year, Ladapo advised governments across the state to stop adding fluoride to their water, citing the neuropsychiatric risks associated with the practice.

“Today we announce that drinking water will hydrate, not medicate,” Simpson said. “Florida water will be clean, it will be safe, and it will be medication-free.”

Ladapo also praised the decision. His office last year issued written guidance detailing the latest research showing that exposure to fluoridated water can lead to neurodevelopmental issues in children, including lower IQ.

Given that risk, along with the wide availability of toothpaste, mouthwash and other alternative sources of fluoride, Ladapo recommended ending community water fluoridation.

Ashley Malin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Florida’s Department of Epidemiology, also spoke at the press conference. She is the lead author of a recent study of women and children in Los Angeles that found children born to women exposed during pregnancy to fluoridated drinking water were more likely to have neurobehavioural problems.

Malin said there have been “major milestones” in research on fluoride’s effects on neurodevelopment in the last decade, and particularly in the last year. She added:

“With more and more studies finding associations of fluoride exposure with adverse neurological outcomes, even at levels that we commonly encounter in Florida, the findings of these studies point to an imminent need for policy change and the policy change happening in Miami-Dade today with the ultimate signing of this bill, is one that will protect the brains of children in Florida from unreasonable risk of harm for generations to come.”

DeSantis held the press conference in Miami, hours after the Miami-Dade commissioners voted for a second time to ban fluoridation there.

County commissioners voted last month to halt the county’s fluoridation program. But on April 11, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava vetoed the legislation. Earlier that day, county commissioners voted 8-4 to override her veto.

DeSantis’ announcement comes one day before Utah’s fluoride ban takes effect. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill in late March that prohibits adding the chemical to the state’s water systems, making Utah the first state to ban water fluoridation.

Starting tomorrow, local water managers in Utah will have to dispose of their remaining water fluoride chemicals — which are byproducts of phosphate fertilizer production — as hazardous waste.

When Ladapo recommended that Florida communities end fluoridation last year, he said a landmark ruling in September 2024 by a California federal judge prompted him to review the science.

In that ruling, U.S. District Judge Edward Chen concluded water fluoridation at current U.S. levels poses an “unreasonable risk” to children’s health. Chen ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take regulatory action in light of recent scientific findings.

The ruling stemmed from a lawsuit filed in 2017 by Fluoride Action Network, Moms Against Fluoridation, Food & Water Watch and individual parents and children.

It also followed the publication in August 2024 of a key report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program. The report concluded that higher levels of fluoride exposure in drinking water are consistently linked to lower IQ in kids.

In October 2024, an updated Cochrane Review concluded that adding fluoride to drinking water provides very limited, if any, dental benefits, especially compared with 50 years ago.

Since the ruling, more than 60 U.S. towns, counties and now states have voted to stop fluoridating their water, Rick North, board member of the Fluoride Action Network, told The Defender.

North said DeSantis’ announcement is more evidence that “the tide has turned throughout the country on water fluoridation, and that’s no play on words.”

“City by city, state by state, the U.S. is catching up to the 95% of the rest of the world that has already rejected fluoridation,” North said. “Call it what you like — a tipping point, a critical mass, a snowball, whatever. It’s happening, and there’s no stopping it.”

Despite that changing tide — and the overwhelming evidence of fluoride’s neurotoxic effects — pro-fluoridation organizations like the American Dental Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Fluoridation Society and others continue to push water fluoridation, often attempting to intervene in local democratic processes to end the practice.

Commenting on those groups’ refusal to reexamine their position in light of new scientific evidence, Ladapo said they reminded him of Linus from Charlie Brown, who clung to his baby blanket:

“We have professionals, doctors, dentists, public health leaders who are holding onto fluoridation like that blanket. I mean, it doesn’t matter what the evidence shows, right?

“Whatever the studies show about potential harms in children and pregnant women, and who knows about the rest of us, you’re just holding onto it. And it’s OK when you’re a kid, but we’re grown-ups here. We’re adults. We’re responsible for the lives of other people. We need to make good decisions.”

[…]

Via https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/florida-second-state-ban-fluoride-public-drinking-water/