April 20, 2025

'He's got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles': Trump appears to hold up altered image of Abrego Garcia's hand

The spelled-out ‘MS-13’ doesn’t appear on his hand in recent photos of Abrego Garcia posted on his wife’s TikTok account

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-kilmar-abrego-garcia-hand-b2735920.html


Donald Trump posed with what appears to be a digitally altered image and claimed Kilmar Abrego Garcia has 'got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles' in what appears to be a digitally altered image. Donald Trump / Truth Social

President Donald Trump posted a statement from the Oval Office Friday with what appeared to be a digitally altered image that Trump said was the hand of a Maryland father who was deported to a brutal El Salvador prison following officials’ unproven claims he is a member of the MS-13 gang.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is the subject of a string of court orders up to the nation’s top court demanding that the Trump administration “facilitate” his return to the United States, where he has been living for the last 14 years. The administration, however, has insisted without evidence that he is a gang member, even though officials initially admitted his deportation was an administrative error.

Now, the president has displayed what he claims to be such evidence — a black-and-white close up photograph of a hand that Trump identified as Abrego Garcia’s with tattooed knuckles, including “MS-13” written out above four symbols — that many internet sleuths are already saying was Photoshopped. The Independent has reached out to the White House and a lawyer for Abrego Garcia for comment.

“This is the hand of the man that the Democrats feel should be brought back to the United States, because he is such ‘a fine and innocent person.’ They said he is not a member of MS-13, even though he’s got MS-13 tattooed onto his knuckles and two Highly Respected Courts found that he was a member of MS-13, beat up his wife, etc.,” the president posted on Truth Social on Friday evening.

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April 20, 2025

Restless Nights: Examining the Growing Sleep Crisis

https://livenewschat.eu/restless-nights-examining-the-growing-sleep-crisis/



In a world that never seems to sleep, millions of people are struggling to get the rest they need. From the rise of remote work to the constant glow of screens, modern life has disrupted our natural sleep cycles, leaving many searching for solutions. As sleep disorders become a growing public health concern, experts are turning to natural remedies and better sleep hygiene practices to combat the crisis. Recent studies suggest that nearly 35% of adults in the U.S. report getting less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night. This alarming trend has sparked renewed interest in natural sleep aids like ashwagandha, lavender, and chamomile, as well as lifestyle changes that promote healthier sleep habits.

Natural Sleep Aids: A Growing Trend

The use of natural remedies for sleep is nothing new, but their popularity has surged in recent years as people seek alternatives to prescription medications. Among the most talked-about options is ashwagandha, an ancient herb known for its stress-reducing properties. By lowering cortisol levels, ashwagandha helps the body relax, making it easier to fall asleep. Another popular choice is lavender, which has been shown to improve sleep quality through its calming aroma. Lavender essential oils and sprays are now staples in many households, offering a simple and affordable way to enhance bedtime routines. Chamomile, often consumed as a tea, remains a classic remedy for those looking to unwind before bed. Its mild sedative effects make it a favorite for people of all ages. Meanwhile, valerian root, another herbal option, has gained attention for its ability to improve sleep duration and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.

Cannabis and Sleep: A Controversial Solution

One of the more controversial trends in natural sleep aids is the use of cannabis. In states where it is legal, certain strains of cannabis are being explored for their sedative properties. Advocates argue that cannabis can be a game-changer for those with chronic insomnia, but critics warn of potential risks, including dependency and inconsistent effects. For those interested in exploring this option, the availability of cannabis seeds and the ability to grow cannabis at home legally in many states and jurisdictions has become increasingly accessible and normalized. However, experts caution that individuals should consult with healthcare professionals and adhere to local laws before incorporating cannabis into their sleep routine.

The Role of Sleep Hygiene

While natural remedies can be helpful, experts agree that good sleep hygiene is the foundation of healthy rest. Dr. Emily Carter, a sleep specialist at the National Sleep Institute, emphasizes the importance of creating a consistent bedtime routine. “Your body thrives on routine,” says Dr. Carter. “Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate your internal clock. Small changes, like reducing screen time before bed and keeping your bedroom cool and dark, can make a big difference.”



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April 19, 2025

Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) [Psychemagik Naive Edit] 2010

Label: Psychemagik – PM001
Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
Country: UK
Released: Dec 2010
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul
Style: House, Nu-Disco

April 19, 2025

Mapping the Authoritarian Movement: Part Two - American First Policy Institute (AFPI)

https://globalextremism.org/post/mapping-the-authoritarian-movement-part-two-afpi/



As part of a special four-part series on the influence that far-right think tanks have on the new Trump administration, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) has analyzed the staff connections at the oft-called Trump “White House in waiting,” the American First Policy Institute (AFPI). GPAHE created a database of senior officials and members of the boards of directors of organizations tied to AFPI, and those in their proximity, in order to document their relationships with other pro-Trump organizations, and calculate the extent of their “influence” in the administration (for more on GPAHE’s methodology, see the note at the bottom of the text). AFPI was formed after Trump’s 2020 presidential loss, hiring many individuals who served in the first Trump administration. The goal was to organize a very well-financed “shadow transition operation” to vet far-right, pro-Trump individuals for the second administration.

The pro-Trump dark money group affiliated with the AFPI is America First Works. AFPI has been uncompromising in their support of Trump’s agenda, defending him during his many court cases, calling for the removal of LGBTQ+ and “woke” material from public schools, and working toward the dissolution of the Department of Education. AFPI has made clear their desire for a theocratic state based on Christian nationalist principles in their handbook, “Biblical Foundation,” where they refer to the U.S. as “a nation founded by people rooted in Biblical truth,” and claim to seek to “maintain the [country’s] foundational Judeo-Christian values,” and call on the Church to “engage in the issues of the day” to “bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth.” Since Trump’s return, AFPI principals have enjoyed significant influence in the administration, and according to reporting, officials still with the think tank are refocusing their efforts on preparing a “100-year plan” to maintain Trumpism long after he leaves office.

In the broader pro-Trump network of think tanks, AFPI is one of the most influential nodes in the entire dataset. Unlike Project 2025 affiliated organizations, AFPI includes few individuals who contributed to Project 2025’s 900+ page Mandate for Leadership, which laid out a detailed policy plan for Trump that is now being enacted. The exception to this are AFPI principals John Ratcliffe, a former Trump official who was nominated to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), https://americafirstpolicy.com/team/jamesbaehr" target="_blank">James Baehr, a former special assistant to the president in the Domestic Policy Council (DPC), https://americafirstpolicy.com/team/jon-sanders" target="_blank">Jon Sanders, formerly a senior fellow at the AFPI’s Center for American Prosperity, and Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands, all of whom are listed as contributors to the Project 2025 plan.

AFPI is well-connected to other influential pro-Trump organizations having at least three ties to the Heritage Foundation, five ties to the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), and three ties to the relatively secretive Council for National Policy (CNP). AFPI employees also have previous experiences working at major Project 2025-affiliated organizations such as the anti-LGBTQ+ Family Research Council (FRC), the Christian Nationalist legal organization First Liberty Institute, CPAC organizer American Conservative Union (ACU), Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA, and the anti-feminist Independent Women’s Forum, a group formed out of another organization that sought to defend Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from sexual assault allegations in 1992.

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related

Mapping the Authoritarian Movement: Part One - Project 2025

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100220251831

April 19, 2025

Beauty in Structure - Champions of #MadeinItaly with Hakan Calhanoğlu - Serie A 2024/25 (4K)

The video has working English subtitles.


The city of Milan is more than just football. Join Hakan Çalhanoğlu as he shares his life in Milan, a place of vision, elegance, and transformation. Discover his bond with the city, his family life, and his take on Italian excellence – from fashion to cosmetics | Serie A 2024/25 This is the official channel for the Serie A, providing all the latest highlights, interviews, news and features to keep you up to date with all things Italian football.

April 19, 2025

The Atlantic Council: War, deal, or something in between?

from an email:





1. Nuclear deal?

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/trump-cant-afford-to-simply-revive-obamas-nuclear-deal/

During his first term, Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. But last weekend’s talks in Oman involving US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi marked an abrupt turnaround, says Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy national intelligence officer for the Near East, with hints that a new deal could look a lot like the one Trump ditched. That would be unwise, Jonathan argues, because of how much Iran has accelerated its nuclear program in recent years. Any deal today “would have to be far more stringent than the JCPOA because Iran is now one to two weeks from having enough 60 percent enriched uranium to fuel a nuclear bomb,” he warns. With time running out, he says, Trump is right to pursue a deal before considering military options. Read Jonathan’s full analysis on why the stakes are higher this time.

2. Dealbreaker?

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/russian-missile-strikes-on-ukrainian-civilians-cast-shadow-over-peace-talks/

Two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city center of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine this week, killing at least thirty-five people and injuring more than one hundred. As Russian strikes continue in Ukraine, both Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Friday that they are prepared to walk away from cease-fire talks if a deal does not materialize soon. So, what are the holdups to peace? What are the costs of freezing the battle lines in place? That’s what people around town want to know, and our “Atlantic Council on the Streets” team took their questions directly to Mercedes Sapuppo of our Eurasia Center. Watch Mercedes deliver the answers and read her latest analysis on how continued Russian airstrikes are casting serious doubt on the viability of US-led peace talks.



3. Done deal?

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/tariffs-can-help-secure-us-critical-mineral-supply-chains-if-theyre-done-right/

Can tariffs help secure the United States’ critical mineral supply chains? This week, Trump signed an executive order launching an investigation into whether critical mineral imports pose a national security threat to the United States. With China dominating the supply chain from extraction to finished goods, past US efforts to de-risk have largely fallen short. But as energy experts Reed Blakemore and Alexis Harmon point out, de-risked supply chains require substantial capital investment, which only flows when investors see predictable returns. They argue that targeted tariffs, if done correctly, could be the answer. Will the Trump investigation address one of Washington’s most pressing strategic vulnerabilities? Read their take on why the US can’t afford to squander this chance.

4. War games.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/china-is-militarizing-its-coast-guard-against-taiwan-heres-how-taipei-and-its-allies-can-respond/

This month, China launched a two-day military exercise targeting Taiwan, coinciding with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s first trip to the Indo-Pacific. During the drills, Taiwan’s Coast Guard revealed that the People’s Liberation Army had exercised operational control over the China Coast Guard. “This is a ground-breaking revelation,” Taiwan expert Kitsch Liao explains, warning that China’s use of its coast guard for military purposes under the guise of law enforcement poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s security. “Taiwan must combine a proper active response with strong public messaging,” Kitsch says, calling for a coordinated effort from the US Coast Guard and allied forces to deter aggression and raise the costs of Beijing’s gray zone tactics. Read more on how the United States can send a strong message to Beijing.

5. Narrative warfare.

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/exposing-pravda-how-pro-kremlin-forces-are-poisoning-ai-models-and-rewriting-wikipedia/

Beyond boots on the ground in Ukraine, Russia is waging a global influence campaign on the internet. At the center of this campaign is the Pravda network, a web of fake news portals targeting more than eighty countries and regions. This strategy, Valentin Châtelet of our Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) explains, “is now poisoning AI tools and Wikipedia” and rewriting the narrative of Russia’s war in Ukraine using sanctioned Russian media sources. These findings come from a new investigation by DFRLab in partnership with Finnish firm CheckFirst. Valentin puts the risk in perspective: As AI chatbots grow more influential, “Russia is infecting them with Kremlin-manipulated content tailored to influence the global internet.” Explore the full investigation, including an interactive dashboard and map, to see the extent of this Russian operation—and what comes next.

April 19, 2025

Meet the foodies Gen Z love

Move over, Jamie and Nigella. Meet Emily English, Gen Z’s foodie

With millions of followers, a tribe of young British female foodies is cooking up a storm on social media. And Emily English is leading the pack

https://www.thetimes.com/article/006cec90-9761-45d7-9352-b8e6c522f8ef

https://archive.ph/RQu4Q


Emma Louise Connolly, aka @thegreedymodel, and, right, Emily English, @emthenutritionist CALZEDONIA/MEGA, CLARE WINFIELD

If you want to know who it is that health-conscious, child-free women my age (I’ve just turned 31) listen to in the kitchen, you don’t need to open a recipe book or look at what’s trending on Netflix. Clue: it’s not Nigella Lawson, 65; Jamie Oliver, who turns 50 next month; or even Meghan Markle, 43. For us there’s a new breed of food gurus: they’re charming, look great in an apron and they all started their careers on Instagram.

You might think my generation survives on Deliveroo and takeaways, but we really do cook and our inspiration comes from our screens. That’s why a report last year by Waitrose found that 18-34-year-olds prefer online recipes and viral videos to cookbooks. My WhatsApp messages with friends are a constant exchange of screenshots and TikToks of our favourite online cooks. All of them are women, busy and (mostly) childless, like us.

The most influential of them all is a 29-year-old blonde nutritionist who grew up on a council estate in Bedfordshire and now cooks in front of a camera in her southwest London kitchen for herself and her husband — watched by her 2.6 million followers. Her name is Emily English.


Emily English. “Scouted as a model, she was told to lose weight. ‘It ruined my relationship with food’” OLA O SMIT/THE TELEGRAPH

While Yotam Ottolenghi has a monopoly on the dinner party, English is the reigning queen of the midweek healthy meal. If you’re over the age of 35, you might never have heard of her. She doesn’t have a Michelin star but she does have an air fryer, is big on protein and cottage cheese (which, thanks to TikTok, has been rebranded from a Seventies diet snack to a superfood), shares ideas for nourishing lunches that can be made in advance and publishes “what I eat in a day” videos explaining her breakfast, lunch and dinner.



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much more at the top link

April 19, 2025

Mapping the Authoritarian Movement: Part One - Project 2025

https://globalextremism.org/post/mapping-the-trump-movement-part-one-project-2025/



Now that Trump has returned to office, his appointments provide a picture of which parts of the conservative movement have the most influence in the new administration. To examine this, the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE) is publishing a special series revealing the far-right individuals, organizations, and networks most involved in the new Trump administration. GPAHE has found three networks to be most influential: the cluster of organizations and individuals involved in Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, individuals connected to the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), and those connected to the Council for National Policy (CNP).

Here, GPAHE looks into those tied to Project 2025, the authoritarian, rights-stripping plan, outlined in a 900+ page opus, that is guiding major transformations to the way the U.S. government operates. The policy proposals in Project 2025, such as shutting down USAID, stripping DEI efforts, and politicizing the DOJ and FBI, among others, and which Trump denied planning to enact or even know about while running for office, are now rapidly being put in place (see GPAHE’s full analysis of Project 2025 here).

GPAHE has documented the network of senior officials and members of the boards of directors of organizations tied to Project 2025, and those in their proximity, in order to calculate the extent of their “influence” in the new administration (for more on GPAHE’s research, see the methodological note below). In total, the dataset includes more than 2,200 individuals in these organizations, or in the Trump administration. In addition, a specific node (data point) was created that represents all of the individuals who are listed as contributors to the official Project 2025 manifesto Mandate for Leadership, which outlines the group’s authoritarian plans for governance, and includes more than 300 individuals representing more than 75 different organizations. As of the date of publishing, the Project 2025 network has at least 40 ties to the new Trump administration.

Number of Project 2025 Ties to the Trump Administration per Organization



Contributors to the Project 2025 Manifesto

The node representing individuals involved in drafting the official manifesto for Project 2025 was the most influential in the entire far-right network that GPAHE examined. While contributing to the plan was the primary factor unifying many of the Project 2025 organizations, individuals from non-Project 2025-affiliated organizations participated as well. These included current director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John Ratcliffe, the former co-chair of the Project 2025 “competitor” organization America First Policy Institute’s (AFPI) Center for American Security, and former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands, AFPI’s current Vice Chair for the Center for Energy & Environment.

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April 19, 2025

Trump's War on the Palestine Movement Is Something Entirely New

Never before has a government repressed its citizens’ free speech and academic freedom so brutally in order to protect an entirely different country.

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-palestine-campus-repression-analysis/

https://archive.ph/QyG1M



As people across the nation look on, aghast, at the footage of vulnerable students of color being abducted in broad daylight by the masked gunmen of ICE, it’s important to acknowledge the unprecedented nature of what we’re living through.

This moment has been compared to McCarthyism. But the Red Scare was sold (however fraudulently) to the American people as a way to protect the country and its government from the threat of communist infiltration. The campaign of brute intimidation ravaging campuses across the country is not being framed as a way of safeguarding the American government or political system; it is, rather, intended to protect a distant foreign regime and to shield it from criticism in the country whose taxpayers are increasingly unwilling to finance its system of apartheid and its program of genocidal violence.

After all, not one of the students being pursued or detained today is accused of criticizing the United States or its system of government. Even now, in this gathering darkness, you can stand with a bullhorn in the middle of any American college campus, say what you want about Donald Trump or the American government, and not fear that you will be kidnapped by the state. Instead, what Trump’s targets are alleged to share is their criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and their advocacy of universally acknowledged Palestinian rights.

Similarly, Columbia’s Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies has—by the combination of unprecedented government fiat and craven administrative capitulation—been stripped of its institutional autonomy not because some members of that department have been critical of the United States, but because they are viewed by certain people as too critical of Israel.

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April 19, 2025

Are We at an Inflection Point?

Trump is governing more and more like an impulsive mad king who assumes he has absolute power. We will soon find out whether he does.



https://prospect.org/blogs-and-newsletters/tap/2025-04-18-are-we-at-inflection-point-trump/



On Thursday, Trump lashed out at Jay Powell, a day after the Fed chairman warned in a carefully worded speech at the Economic Club of Chicago that Trump’s tariff war could create a “challenging scenario” by putting the central bank’s two primary goals—price stability and avoiding recession—in conflict. Trump has repeatedly pressed Powell to cut interest rates, to offset the damaging economic consequences of his tariffs. Trump explicitly threatened to fire Powell on a social media post, calling him TOO LATE AND WRONG, adding, “Powell’s termination cannot come soon enough.” At the White House, speaking yesterday afternoon, Trump doubled down: “If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me.” As Powell himself has pointed out, firing the Fed chair, who has a term appointment, is illegal.

Then again, everything Trump has done in his escalating campaign of government by decree is illegal. It was illegal to kidnap Kilmar Abrego Garcia, send him to a prison in El Salvador, and ignore court orders to return him; illegal to refuse to spend money duly appropriated by Congress; illegal to sic the IRS on nonprofits whose views Trump doesn’t like; illegal to deny law firms access to government buildings or security clearances as a way of extorting pro bono deals; illegal to deny the Associated Press access to the White House press room and to threaten CBS’s broadcast license; illegal to use confidential information held by the IRS or the Social Security Administration for political purposes; and a good deal more.

It does feel as if things have reached an inflection point, where either the antibodies against dictatorship will kick in, or we soon will have full-on tyranny. The good news is that large institutions have found that appeasement is a fool’s game and are starting to push back. Harvard and Columbia have both discovered that craven capitulation only whets Trump’s appetite to demand more. Their leaders are at last drawing some bright lines. Billion-dollar law firms that thought they had bought peace with appalling deals to spend $100 million or more on pro bono work for Trump’s favored causes are finding that those demands are only Trump’s opening bid. They now belong to his whims. Several hundred law firms have now vowed not to cooperate, and have joined universities in suing the administration.

The bad news is that what’s illegal is ultimately decided by courts. One court after another has ruled against Trump and his cronies, but the Supreme Court keeps temporizing. After district courts have issued rulings blocking Trump’s executive order overturning birthright citizenship, the Supreme Court refused to overturn them and has finally scheduled oral arguments on that question and a full hearing for May 15, almost a month from now. But dozens of other cases remain backed up, remanded on a bogus emergency basis back to lower courts. And in the meantime, Trump’s effort to govern by grievance and decree grows more flagrant daily. And while Trump has had to back and fill on his tariff program lest financial markets totally collapse, there has been no spillover to restrain his other dictatorial moves.

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