Welcome to The Now

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Via the BBC : A modelling scout linked to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been found dead at his home. Daniel Siad, 69, was discovered on Monday in Colombes, a north-west suburb of Paris, the Nanterre prosecutor's office confirmed to the BBC. [SNIP] Siad's name appeared thousands of times in the Epstein files released by the US government. He had previously denied any knowledge of the threat that Epstein posed. Here's another (French-based) story on Siad's passing: Also, here's a video of Siad giving his account on his relationship with Epstein:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Larry Johnson and Danny Haiphong discuss the latest developments: Much of this hinges on whether President Trump starts talking about peace/truce in public (instead of begging for it in private, according to some people like Pepe Escobar). As long as this remains tit-for-tat with added escalation, the casualties will increase to the point that the US will not be able to minimize it, Israel will be called to get more involved, and more lethal weaponry will be recommended. Oh, and the global economy is still on the brink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Well, looks like it was shut down in late June .  Due Dissidence has more:

 

 

 

 

 As in, "They can survive a pre-emptive strike and fight back." :

 

 When nature shows meet Looney Tunes:

 

 

 

 

  Will Russia allow Turkey to resell a purchase Russian defense system to the Unite Arab Emirates ? Is PEN America prioritizing Zionism over persecuted and censored writers ?  Are more American Jews distancing themselves from the state (read: government actions) of Israel ? Is a foreign spy using Prager U to reconstruct the American education system ? What does the rise of Patriot Front mean for current and previous predominantly Black and Brown cities ?

 

  The New Zealand actor was 78 .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Ben Norton exposes the hypocrisy of supporting certain outliers:

 

 

 

 

 

I use quotations because in truth one would only have to pay attention to Iran to have a base understanding of their capabilities. But as I've quoted before: all the intelligence-gathering in the world means little when you have a dangerously fictional impression of your adversaries as well as an ignorantly arrogant belief in your own power:

 Back in January, the Pew Research Center revealed some interesting news : That said, Baby Boomers are still around and still control the Senate and a number of Congressional Chairs (as leadership is tied to seniority). In other words: the future of this country is still be determined by those who will not be around to see the short or long-term consequences of their decisions. 

 Who really knows? Yes, attacks are being exchanged, but that was happening under the MOU. And while the odds of true peace actually occurring was a dream at best (see: Brian Berletic and the Policy Papers), there was some hope that maybe there would be a reprieve; that perhaps for the summer (or at least up until November) there'd be little but the occasional harsh comment and calls for Israel to restrain itself.  But alas, this was not to be:

 

 Criticize a country conducting genocide and risk retribution:

 

 According to Larry Johnson, the US has until 7/11/26 before the reserves run out and the real pressure starts. That's the same date as Pakistani-orchestrated talks between the United States and Iran are supposed to resume.  Will the US actually act in good faith? Can Iran really trust the West? What is Pakistan (and China, for that matter) willing to risk to see this through? How does Lebanon and Palestine factor in? What about Israel?  Hopefully these questions will be addressed/answered in the next few weeks. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 From 6/9/2026:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Keep in mind that making peace deals only to ignore/circumvent/break them is par for the course according to the Policy Papers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 President Trump's a ttempt to meet with Senate GOP over getting the SAVE Act passed ? It didn't go so well . Experts don't believe that the algae problem in the Lincoln reflecting pool was due to vandalism .  According to documents obtained under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Israel has been conducting the " largest geofencing and targeted Christian digital campaign ever ." " A federal judge on Wednesday permanently barred President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing most of his first executive order on elections , part of which sought to require people to show documentary proof of citizenship when they register to vote."

 

 

 "Class analysis without race & gender dangerously ignores how white supremacy and patriarchy mimic broader oppressions within the proletariat. Race & gender analysis without class shields the capitalist class by amplifying bourgeois voices that do not have proletarian interests at heart."

 

 

 

 While most Republicans just lie, Democrats have this knack of saying a lot of words that end up meaning little or nothing: In both cases, watch what they do, not what they say.

Via CNN : A US fighter jet pilot rescued by special forces after being shot down over Iran in April described a shocking sight before ejecting from his aircraft: multiple Iranian drones hovering in the air, moving as one, in a formation that resembled a jellyfish, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The account, which has not been previously reported, was shared by the F-15 pilot with intelligence officials during a debriefing after the incident. It immediately set off a firestorm of debate within the US intelligence community that has yet to be resolved. If the airman really saw what he described — a formation moving in unison — it would be an alarming advance in Iranian drone capabilities. “Multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs,” one of the sources familiar with the pilot’s witness account told CNN. “Real alien sh*t.” Another source told CNN the pilot described witnessing a “minefield of drones” in the a...