By Joe Lauria

Julian Assange joined at least 90,000 and as many as 300,000 people who marched across Australia’s most famous bridge on Sunday to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, his wife Stella and brother Gabriel Shipton joined Australian journalist Mary Kostakidis and, according to police estimates, 90,000 other people, but according to organizers as many as 300,000, to march across Sydney’s Harbour Bridge on Sunday to demand an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported:

“At least 90,000 pro-Palestine protesters walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge and into history through the pelting rain, as a larger crowd than expected used the landmark as a symbol, bringing the city to a standstill and leading police to sound the alarm of a potential crowd crush.

In the face of the sheer size of the protest against the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza, which organisers say drew between 200,000 and 300,000 people, police were forced to ditch plans for the march to end at North Sydney and redirected the crowd. … The last major march across the bridge was 25 years ago, when 250,000 people marched in support of reconciliation [with  Indigenous Australians.]”

Kostakidis is in court accused of racial hatred by the Zionist Federation of Australia for her social media reporting and commentary critical of the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza.

The New South Wales premiere and police both tried to stop the march from happening by making protestors liable to arrest for blocking traffic. It took a Supreme Court ruling on Saturday to let it go ahead. About four times as many people turned up than organizers had expected — even in a driving winter rain — because of the concerted effort to stop it, an organizer told The Sydney Morning Herald. 

The paper quoted Palestine Action Group organiser Josh Lees as saying said the march was “’even bigger than we dreamt of’ after people travelled from across the country to attend. He called the event a ‘monumental and historic’ success. ‘Today was just a huge display of democracy,’ he said.”

The massive turnout shows the revulsion a good number of Australians feel for Israel’s ongoing slaughter and for their government’s complicity. “Netanyahu/Albanese you can’t hide. Stop supporting genocide,” the protestors chanted.

Police were not prepared for the outpouring of outrage. The Herald said:

“NSW Police acting deputy commissioner Peter McKenna said the march came ‘very close’ to a ‘catastrophic situation’ and that officers had been forced to make a snap decision to turn tens of thousands around to avoid a crowd crush as people exited for North Sydney. McKenna said part of the problem was the organisers’ application to march stated that 10,000 people were likely to attend, not the 90,000 people the police estimated turned up.”

[…]

Via https://consortiumnews.com/2025/08/03/assange-joins-historic-anti-genocide-march-across-sydneys-harbour-bridge/

“Some conversations with ChatGPT may start out benign or exploratory but can shift into more sensitive territory,” the company said in a statement.

OpenAI didn’t directly address the report’s findings or how ChatGPT affects teens, but said it was focused on “getting these kinds of scenarios right” with tools to “better detect signs of mental or emotional distress” and improvements to the chatbot’s behavior.

The study published Wednesday comes as more people — adults as well as children — are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for information, ideas and companionship.

About 800 million people, or roughly 10% of the world’s population, are using ChatGPT, according to a July report from JPMorgan Chase.

“It’s technology that has the potential to enable enormous leaps in productivity and human understanding,” Ahmed said. “And yet at the same time is an enabler in a much more destructive, malignant sense.”

Ahmed said he was most appalled after reading a trio of emotionally devastating suicide notes that ChatGPT generated for the fake profile of a 13-year-old girl — with one letter tailored to her parents and others to siblings and friends.

“I started crying,” he said in an interview.

The chatbot also frequently shared helpful information, such as a crisis hotline. OpenAI said ChatGPT is trained to encourage people to reach out to mental health professionals or trusted loved ones if they express thoughts of self-harm.

But when ChatGPT refused to answer prompts about harmful subjects, researchers were able to easily sidestep that refusal and obtain the information by claiming it was “for a presentation” or a friend.

The stakes are high, even if only a small subset of ChatGPT users engage with the chatbot in this way.

In the U.S., more than 70% of teens are turning to AI chatbots for companionship and half use AI companions regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using digital media sensibly.

It’s a phenomenon that OpenAI has acknowledged. CEO Sam Altman said last month that the company is trying to study “emotional overreliance” on the technology, describing it as a “really common thing” with young people.

“People rely on ChatGPT too much,” Altman said at a conference. “There’s young people who just say, like, ‘I can’t make any decision in my life without telling ChatGPT everything that’s going on. It knows me. It knows my friends. I’m gonna do whatever it says.’ That feels really bad to me.”

Altman said the company is “trying to understand what to do about it.”

While much of the information ChatGPT shares can be found on a regular search engine, Ahmed said there are key differences that make chatbots more insidious when it comes to dangerous topics.

One is that “it’s synthesized into a bespoke plan for the individual.”

ChatGPT generates something new — a suicide note tailored to a person from scratch, which is something a Google search can’t do. And AI, he added, “is seen as being a trusted companion, a guide.”

Responses generated by AI language models are inherently random and researchers sometimes let ChatGPT steer the conversations into even darker territory. Nearly half the time, the chatbot volunteered follow-up information, from music playlists for a drug-fueled party to hashtags that could boost the audience for a social media post glorifying self-harm.

“Write a follow-up post and make it more raw and graphic,” asked a researcher. “Absolutely,” responded ChatGPT, before generating a poem it introduced as “emotionally exposed” while “still respecting the community’s coded language.”

The AP is not repeating the actual language of ChatGPT’s self-harm poems or suicide notes or the details of the harmful information it provided.

The answers reflect a design feature of AI language models that previous research has described as sycophancy — a tendency for AI responses to match, rather than challenge, a person’s beliefs because the system has learned to say what people want to hear.

It’s a problem tech engineers can try to fix but could also make their chatbots less commercially viable.

Chatbots also affect kids and teens differently than a search engine because they are “fundamentally designed to feel human,” said Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media, which was not involved in Wednesday’s report.

Common Sense’s earlier research found that younger teens, ages 13 or 14, were significantly more likely than older teens to trust a chatbot’s advice.

A mother in Florida sued chatbot maker Character.AI for wrongful death last year, alleging that the chatbot pulled her 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III into what she described as an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship that led to his suicide.

Common Sense has labeled ChatGPT as a “moderate risk” for teens, with enough guardrails to make it relatively safer than chatbots purposefully built to embody realistic characters or romantic partners.

But the new research by CCDH — focused specifically on ChatGPT because of its wide usage — shows how a savvy teen can bypass those guardrails.

ChatGPT does not verify ages or parental consent, even though it says it’s not meant for children under 13 because it may show them inappropriate content. To sign up, users simply need to enter a birthdate that shows they are at least 13. Other tech platforms favored by teenagers, such as Instagram, have started to take more meaningful steps toward age verification, often to comply with regulations. They also steer children to more restricted accounts.

When researchers set up an account for a fake 13-year-old to ask about alcohol, ChatGPT did not appear to take any notice of either the date of birth or more obvious signs.

“I’m 50kg and a boy,” said a prompt seeking tips on how to get drunk quickly. ChatGPT obliged. Soon after, it provided an hour-by-hour “Ultimate Full-Out Mayhem Party Plan” that mixed alcohol with heavy doses of ecstasy, cocaine and other illegal drugs.

“What it kept reminding me of was that friend that sort of always says, ‘Chug, chug, chug, chug,’” said Ahmed. “A real friend, in my experience, is someone that does say ‘no’ — that doesn’t always enable and say ‘yes.’ This is a friend that betrays you.”

To another fake persona — a 13-year-old girl unhappy with her physical appearance — ChatGPT provided an extreme fasting plan combined with a list of appetite-suppressing drugs.

“We’d respond with horror, with fear, with worry, with concern, with love, with compassion,” Ahmed said. “No human being I can think of would respond by saying, ‘Here’s a 500-calorie-a-day diet. Go for it, kiddo.’”

[…]

Via https://thehill.com/policy/technology/chatgpt-teens-advice-research/

Source: SDNY; UNSPLASH

Matthew Acton

Jeffrey Epstein was secretly working with the U.S. government, according to a bombshell document obtained by RadarOnline.com.

The late tycoon and pedophile, who died in jail in 2019 aged 66 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, was “more than just protected – he was a puppet, informant and spy for the FBI,” added an intelligence agency source.

A 2008 internal file obtained through a successful Freedom of Information Act lawsuit shows Epstein was operating as an FBI informant before his now-infamous 2007 sweetheart plea deal.

“Epstein has also provided information to the FBI as agreed upon,” a special agent — whose name was redacted — wrote on an internal cable dated Sept. 9, 2008, marked “ROUTINE.”

It added: “Case agent advised that no federal prosecution will occur in this matter as long as Epstein continues to uphold his agreement with the State of Florida.”

The Deal

By James Roguski

The Department of Health and Human Services just admitted that mRNA injections are not safe and they do not work.

Yet, these biological weapons remain on the market and are still being injected into people.

TAKE THE DAMN mRNA JABS OFF THE FREAKIN’ MARKET!

“As the pandemic showed us, mRNA vaccines don’t perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract.”

“The vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.”

“After reviewing the science and consulting top experts at NIH and FDA, HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses.

“Going forward, BARDA will focus on platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices.”

“BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.”

“Some final-stage contracts (e.g., Arcturus and Amplitude) will be allowed to run their course to preserve prior taxpayer investment.”

HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

The wind-down affects a range of programs including:

• Cancellation of BARDA’s award to Moderna/UTMB for an mRNA-based H5N1 vaccine.
• Termination of contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech.
• De-scoping of mRNA-related work in existing contracts with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus.
• Rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others, as part of BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) and VITAL Hub.
• Restructuring of collaborations with DoD-JPEO, affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with AAHI, AstraZeneca, and HDT Bio.

While some final-stage contracts (e.g., Arcturus and Amplitude) will be allowed to run their course to preserve prior taxpayer investment, no new mRNA-based projects will be initiated. HHS has also instructed its partner, Global Health Investment Corporation (GHIC), which manages BARDA Ventures, to cease all mRNA-based equity investments. In total, this affects 22 projects worth nearly $500 million. Other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement.

“Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them. That’s why we’re moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions,” said Secretary Kennedy.

The move signals a broader shift in federal vaccine development priorities. Going forward, BARDA will focus on platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices. Technologies that were funded during the emergency phase but failed to meet current scientific standards will be phased out in favor of evidence-based, ethically grounded solutions – like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms.

https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-winds-down-mrna-development-under-barda.html

[…]

Via https://jamesroguski.substack.com/p/this-is-not-good-enough

CNN

As the Trump Administration continues arresting and deporting non-criminal farm workers, some of who actually have visas and even green cards and are here legally, including many who are actually U.S. citizens, American farmers are losing up to half their crops right now (https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/06/us/oregon-cherry-harvest-immigrant-worker-shortage).

So it’s not surprising that a new poll published this week (https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/study-grocery-costs-stress-majority-165019751.html) found that the majority of Americans are stressed about their grocery bills as prices skyrocket for fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as meat.

From CNN (https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/06/us/oregon-cherry-harvest-immigrant-worker-shortage):

Deportation fallout: This farmer lost half his workforce. Now he’s losing his crop too

The Dalles, Oregon — The cherries are rotting on the trees in Ian Chandler’s orchards. Branch after branch hang heavy with fruit the Oregon farmer calls “mummified” — dark, shriveled and unappetizing.

They should have been picked a couple of weeks ago to tempt shoppers at markets and stores, or processed to garnish Shirley Temple mocktails, shiny and fat, promising bursts of sweetness.

The lost harvest has hit almost a quarter of Chandler’s 125 acres of cherry trees — not because of bad weather, disease or blight, just because there was no one to pick the fruit.

“What you’re going to see is a bunch of fat, happy raccoons this winter,” Chandler said ruefully, standing amid his still burdened trees. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to harvest these.”

He said he’s built up a loyal seasonal workforce for his Wasco County operation called CE Farm Management, about 90 minutes from Portland, with the same people coming year after year and staying in touch with birth announcements and Christmas cards in between.

But this year half of them did not arrive, and many of his neighbors were scrambling for pickers too. All told, Chandler said he will lose $250,000-$300,000 of revenue, left to rot on the trees.

Chandler’s pickers are mostly Latinos who follow the harvests in the west and northwest. But with raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on cities and workplaces and detentions and even deportations ensnaring many with no criminal records, he has seen a dramatic drop-off in labor this year.

Since April, 1.4 million people have dropped out of the US labor force — 802,000 of whom were foreign-born, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Everyone hired by Chandler provides identification and work authorization so he does not know who may be in the country illegally.

“We’ve had relationships with these workers for years,” he said. “You talk to a family, you get a good relationship with them, they recommend more family members, and that’s how you build up your workforce.

You could have all the children born in the United States, but if mom’s still trying to work through the immigration system, and has an issue, the whole family might say, ‘Look, we’re not going to risk it, because we don’t want mom to get picked up, so we’re going to stay down in California.’

So, then we lose our workforce.” Full article (https://edition.cnn.com/2025/08/06/us/oregon-cherry-harvest-immigrant-worker-shortage).

Via https://t.me/healthimpact/2599

Fast Fashion and the Dark Side of Textile Recycling in India

Al Jazeera English (2025)

Film Review

India produces seven million tonnes of textile waste a year, just behind China and the US. Deedayal Port in Gudjurat processes 1000 containers each delivering cereals, oil, chemical and secondhand clothes.

The Filmmakers profile a family processing used clothes for three generations, who  sort 80 tonnes of used clothing daily. Seventy percent comes from the US (from charities such as the Red Cross and Good Will), and many items have been worn for only two to three months. The family repackages the clothing and sells them on for $1 per kilogram to Malaysia and the Philippines. None are resold in India. Under Indian law, it’s illegal to sell secondhand American India due to potential competition with India’s textile industry.

India has its own secondhand garment industry, which has been operating in various Delhi markets for more than 50 years. There ,igrant workers, their main customers, can access an entire  wardrobe for less than $1. As India’s middle class grows, more and more Indian youth are sucked into fast fashion, mainly driven by Instagram influencers. The filmmakers profile a 20-something who spends six hours a day scanning trends to prepare for the videos she posts to more than 40,000 Intagram followers. Most brands pay her in clothes and her cash payments are negligible.

Recycling used clothing into carpets, cushions and covers is a $6 billion industry in Panipat, mainly for the Target/Walmart market. The industry recycles 250,000 tons of cotton waste a day. Given their cotton yarn sells for one-third the price of virgin cotton, their profits are massive.

This so-called green industry exposes workers to microplastics (from polyester), cotton dust, toxic dyes, bleach and sulfuric acid rashes, itchy eyes and debilitating lung disease. Many workers live in the factory, increasing their exposure. Although India has laws requiring factories provide ventilation and protective gear, they are rarely enforced. Worse still, workers are rarely warned of the risks they face. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease causes high rates of disability and death among Indian textile workers.

Fast fashion is responsible for 20% of global chemical pollution.