FBI Agents Raid Home of Democrat Mayor of Oakland

At approximately 10:07 a.m., several FBI agents could be seen walking out of the property carrying bags and boxes. The agents then got into their vehicles and left the scene. An FBI representative told KRON4 the location had been cleared.

Earlier, an FBI agent at the scene confirmed to KRON4 News that the address was being investigated. A San Francisco FBI spokesperson told KRON4 that the agency is conducting “court authorized law enforcement” at the property.

The FBI declined to provide additional details at this time.

The incident comes on the heels of a recall campaign against the mayor advancing to the November ballot.

The property is one of four properties Mayor Thao owns in Oakland.

The FBI confirmed to KRON4 that a similar court authorized law enforcement activity was being conducted Thursday morning in the 4300 block of View Crest Court in Oakland.

https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fbi-agents-at-home-owned-by-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao/

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano Summoned to Vatican to be Excommunicated

https://exsurgedomine.it/240620-attendite-eng/

Arizona Judge Declines To Dismiss Election Interference Case

The rulings released on June 18 mean the case will proceed to trial.

Ms. Judd and Mr. Crosby are charged with conspiracy and interference with an election officer, both class 5 felonies.

The case stems from events following the 2022 general election in Arizona, when Ms. Judd and Mr. Crosby allegedly conspired to delay the canvassing of votes in Cochise County, prosecutors say.

According to the indictment, the defendants’ actions aimed to prevent the timely certification of the county’s election results, thereby obstructing the statewide canvass process.

Following the rulings, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued a statement reaffirming the seriousness of the charges and the state’s commitment to pursuing justice.

“This is a serious case, and the charges have merit,” Ms. Mayes stated in a press release. “Today’s ruling by the court supports that. While the defendants are innocent until proven guilty, as are all defendants in our criminal justice system, my office is prepared to move forward with this case and pursue justice for the people of Arizona.”

Ms. Judd and Mr. Crosby filed motions to remand their cases to a grand jury for a new determination of probable cause earlier this year.

They argued that the original grand jury proceedings were flawed, alleging that the state failed to properly instruct the grand jury on relevant legal standards, presented misleading testimony, and used privileged information improperly.

Judge Fish in his ruling stated that the grand jury was appropriately instructed and that the evidence presented did not constitute misleading testimony or misuse of privileged information.

The judge emphasized that the role of the grand jury is to determine whether probable cause exists to believe that a crime has been committed, not to conduct a mini-trial.

Motion to Dismiss Denied

The defendants also moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the state grand jury lacked jurisdiction under A.R.S. §21-422.

They claimed that the alleged crimes did not fall within the specific categories that a state grand jury is authorized to investigate and indict.

Judge Fish rejected this argument, stating that the actions of the defendants, if proven, constituted “intentional, knowing, or corrupt misconduct involving any person compensated by public funds,” which falls within the grand jury’s jurisdiction.

He further noted that the alleged interference took place in both Cochise and Maricopa counties, thus justifying the state grand jury’s involvement under the applicable statutes.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/arizona-judge-declines-dismiss-election-interference-case

Richest Family in the UK, the Billionaire Hindujas Stand Trial in Switzerland for Human Trafficking Charges

Four members of the UK's richest family are on trial in Switzerland amid allegations they spent more money caring for their dog than their servants.

The Hinduja family, worth an estimated £37bn ($47bn), is accused of exploitation and human trafficking.

The family own a villa in Geneva’s wealthy neighbourhood of Cologny, and the charges against them all relate to their practice of importing servants from India to look after their children and household.

It’s alleged that Prakash and Kamal Hinduja, together with their son Ajay and his wife Namrata, confiscated staff passports, paid them as little as $8 (£7) for 18-hour days, and allowed them little freedom to leave the house.

Although a financial settlement over exploitation was reached last week, the Hindujas remain on trial for trafficking, which is a serious criminal offence in Switzerland. They deny the charges.

This week in court, one of Geneva’s most famous prosecutors, Yves Bertossa, compared the almost $10,000 a year he claimed the family had spent on their dog, to the daily amount they were allegedly paying their servants.

The Hinduja family's lawyers did not specifically deny the allegations of low wages, but said they must be viewed in context - noting that the staff were also receiving accommodation and food.

The charge of long hours was also disputed, with one defence lawyer arguing that watching a film with the Hinduja children could not really be classed as work.

Some former servants testified for the Hindujas, describing them as a friendly family who treated their servants with dignity.

But the allegations that servants’ passports were confiscated, and that they could not even leave the house without permission, are serious, because they could be judged as human trafficking.

Mr Bertossa is calling for prison terms, and millions of dollars in compensation as well as legal fees.

Dark side of Geneva

It is not the first time that Geneva, a hub for international organisations as well as the world’s wealthy, has been in the spotlight over the alleged mistreatment of servants.

In 2008, Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Libya’s former dictator Muammar Gaddafi, was arrested in his five star Geneva hotel by police acting on information that he and his wife had been beating their servants, including with a coat hanger. The case was later dropped.

But it caused a huge diplomatic row between Switzerland and Libya, with two Swiss citizens arrested in Tripoli as a retaliatory measure.

Just last year, four domestic workers from the Philippines launched a case against one of Geneva’s diplomatic missions to the United Nations, claiming they had not been paid for years.

The Hinduja's ongoing, high profile case will draw attention, once again, to the darker, uglier side of the city that likes to call itself "the city of peace".

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm55gzvv1dro

US to redirect air defense orders to Ukraine – White House

Countries waiting for Patriot and NASAMS systems have been put on hold until Kiev’s needs are satisfied

The US will prioritize deliveries of Patriot and NASAMS batteries to Ukraine over any pending orders from other countries, in an effort to shore up Kiev’s air defenses, the White House announced on Thursday.

White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told reporters that Kiev is currently “in desperate need of additional air defence capabilities” as Russia continues to target Ukraine’s power grid ahead of the fall and winter.

At present, Kiev has at least four Patriot systems, provided by the US and Germany. Late last month, the Netherlands launched a joint initiative to deliver one more air defense battery to Ukraine, calling on several other nations to donate separate constituent parts. While Spain, Greece, Romania and Poland have Patriots at their disposal, they have so far refused to donate them to Kiev.

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has asked Western backers to deliver at least seven more Patriot units amid an intensified Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities in recent months.

The Financial Times reported on Thursday that Ukraine’s demand for interceptor missiles would take precedence until the country “has enough to defend itself from Russia’s air attacks.” The original story suggested that all other orders – both for Patriot launchers and ammunition – would be halted. However, its authors later amended the article to say the restrictions would only affect missiles.

The newspaper noted that Poland, Romania and Germany all have open orders with American manufacturers for Patriot systems, with a separate outstanding contract for 1,000 missiles placed by a group of NATO member states back in January.

On Tuesday, Switzerland’s Blick newspaper reported that the US had delayed the scheduled delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles to the country, citing the Ukraine conflict as ‘force majeure’, which allows for the contract to be altered. The Swiss military later confirmed that the report was true.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy last Thursday, President Biden said countries that are expecting US air defense systems would have to wait.

The US head of state explained that “everything we have is going to go to Ukraine until their needs are met.”

https://www.rt.com/news/599662-us-patriot-orders-on-hold-ukraine/

Chemicals From East Palestine Train Disaster Spread to 16 States: Study

Fires after the February 2023 accident caused plumes of toxic chemicals to spread farther than researchers anticipated. "I think we should be concerned," an expert said.

Toxic chemicals released during fires following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio last year spread to 16 states and likely Canada, according to a study released Wednesday.

The pollution, some of which came from the burning of vinyl chloride, a carcinogen, spread over 540,000 square miles, showing clearly that "the impacts of the fire were larger in scale and scope than the initial predictions," the authors of the study, published in Environmental Research Letters, found.

Lead author David Gay, coordinator of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, said that he was very surprised by the way the chemicals had spread. "I didn't expect to see an impact this far out," he told The Washington Post.

Gay said the results did not mean "death and destruction," as concentrations were low on an absolute scale—"not melting steel or eating paint off buildings"—but that they were still "very extreme" compared to normal, with measurements higher than recorded in the previous ten years.

"I think we should be concerned," Juliane Beier, an expert on vinyl chloride effects who didn't take part in the study, told the Post, citing the possibility of long-term environmental impacts on communities.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/new-study/chemicals-from-east-palestine-train-disaster-spread-to-16-states-study

Widespread impacts to precipitation of the East Palestine Ohio train accident

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ad52ac

Chinese Forces Ram US Ally’s Boats, Wield Blades Against Crew Members In Dramatic South China Sea Escalation

Chinese forces boarded and overwhelmed U.S.-allied vessels on Monday in one of the most dramatic escalations in recent times in the South China Sea, as seen in chaotic footage of the incident released on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Chinese Coast Guard on Monday confronted Philippine navy boats that were attempting to deliver supplies to an outpost in the South China Sea on Monday, according to The Associated Press. Footage recently released by the Philippine military depicts Chinese Coast Guard vessels ramming one of the boats and boarding the second boat, destroying and seizing equipment, injuring crew members, and wielding knives, spears and axes.

“We were outnumbered and their weapons were unexpected but our personnel fought with everything that they had,” General Romeo Brawner Jr, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said in a statement on Thursday. “Only pirates do this. Only pirates board, steal, and destroy ships, equipment, and belongings.”

The incident occurred at the Second Thomas Shoal — a flashpoint for conflict between the Philippines and China — in the South China Sea, per the AP. The Chinese Coast Guard approached two Filipino boats attempting to restock goods at a military outpost at the reef.

China believes that the South China Sea is solely its own territory, even though that claim is disputed by a bulk of the international community, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. Though the Philippines and China have clashed in the sea before, Monday’s events mark a severe intensification in hostilities between the two nations over the territorial dispute — never before have Chinese forces wielded bladed weapons against Filipino forces, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Beijing on Thursday disputed claims that it initiated the conflict, saying that the Philippine military had “illegally intruded” waters of the South China Sea, rammed Chinese vessels and lied about restocking goods at the Second Thomas Shoal outpost.

https://dailycaller.com/2024/06/20/chinese-coast-guard-rams-philippino-boats-wields-blades/

America’s largest private bus company officially files for BANKRUPTCY

Coach USA, the operator of Megabus and two dozen other commuter bus lines in the United States and Canada, has officially filed for bankruptcy protection.

According to the documents filed in bankruptcy court in Wilmington, Delaware on June 18, Coach USA, the largest privately owned bus company in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the slow recovery in ridership since the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. Coach USA also revealed in the court filings that its ridership plummeted by 90 percent in 2020 due to pandemic lockdowns, and despite efforts to bounce back, ridership levels in 2023 only saw 45 percent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

Moreover, rising fuel, insurance and labor costs, compounded by inflation, have further strained their finances.

Coach USA enters Chapter 11 with $197.8 million in debt. This includes $37 million due on a pandemic relief loan under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, along with at least $134 million in other unpaid obligations, including trade debts.

In line with the slow recovery, Coach USA, purchased by private equity firm Variant Equity Advisors for $270 million in 2019, has entered into three separate sale agreements subject to better offers during the court process.

First, Coach USA agreed to sell the majority of its assets to the Renco Group, a private investment company, in exchange for taking on $130 million of its debt and certain union contracts, along with its Megabus intellectual property and retail operations. Second, Avalon Transportation is set to purchase bus lines in Atlanta, Georgia, and Western states, as well as specialized tour bus divisions for $14.8 million. Additionally, ABC Buses intends to buy a fleet of 143 double-decker buses for $2.3 million.

These agreements seek to sell its assets and reduce its debt from the 2019 private equity buyout that proved ill-timed. At the same time, the agreements seek to cover 16 of its 25 business lines and preserve jobs for about 2,100 employees.

Fortunately, Coach USA, which operates in 27 locations and employs approximately 2,700 people, will continue its bus operations while undergoing a court-supervised sale of its assets as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.

"Our top priority remains safely carrying the millions of passengers who choose our buses each year and working closely with our valued contract customers and transportation agency partners," said Coach USA CEO Derrick Waters.

COVID-19 pandemic badly affected the transportation industry across America

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the transportation industry across the United States has been profound, with reduced ridership on trains and buses, as many Americans now work from home or commute to the office only a few times a week.

In 2019, there were about 3,000 bus companies, but since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half have closed and many of the remaining companies are operating at about 70 percent capacity. Additionally, private bus companies had only returned to 40 percent of pre-pandemic ridership by the end of 2022.

"We lost almost two full years of revenue over a three-year period," Peter Pantuso, the chief executive officer of the American Bus Association said in an interview. "You just don’t have enough bandwidth to make up that lost revenue period, because the bills didn’t go away."

In 2023, the popular New Jersey-based DeCamp Bus Lines discontinued its New York City commuter service due to low ridership. Many transit services, which rely heavily on fares, have had to seek alternative funding sources as fare revenue has declined. Without government intervention or new funding sources, many operators may face two difficult choices: cutting services or raising fares. But then, neither option is likely to attract riders back.

With the recent filing of Coach USA, the future of Megabus is now in jeopardy. Megabus serves 500 cities across America with a total of over 50 million population since its launch in 2006.

https://www.stationgossip.com/2024/06/americas-largest-private-bus-company.html

UN: Israeli Authorities Responsible for Crimes Against Humanity

A United Nations inquiry into the Israeli onslaught in Gaza found officials in Tel Aviv were culpable for myriad war crimes

Speaking to the UN Security Council, the head of an investigatory body probing the Gaza war found Israeli officials committed war crimes during military operations in the Strip.

Navi Pillay, chairperson of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, announced her findings to the UNSC on Wednesday, stating the commission had concluded that “Israeli authorities are responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.”

She explained that those crimes include “extermination, intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, murder or willful killing using starvation as a method of War, forcible transfer, gender persecution, sexual and gender-based violence amounting to torture and cruel or inhuman treatment.”

The commission noted that Hamas has committed similar crimes throughout the latest conflict.

During the eight-month assault on Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have killed over 37,000 Palestinians and injured an estimated 85,000. Israeli bombings have also destroyed most of Gaza’s homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, and farmland. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been plunged into near-famine conditions.

Tel Aviv’s onslaught has been aided by a long list of US weapons. A separate report from the UN Human Rights Office published Wednesday documented six cases of Israel using American bombs to kill hundreds of civilians.

The report stated that US-made GBU-31 (2,000 lbs.), GBU-32 (1,000 lbs.) and GBU-39 (250 lbs.) bombs were used to strike “residential buildings, a school, refugee camps and a market” between October and December 2023. The UN rights office verified 218 deaths from those six attacks, and said it had indications the number of fatalities could be “much higher.”

Pillay explained that the independent commission determined the Israeli strikes were intentional. “We found that the immense numbers of civilian casualties in Gaza and widespread destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure were the inevitable result of an intentional strategy to cause maximum damage,” she said.

The commission found Israel’s crimes went beyond using bombs or other conventional weapons but also food, water, and dispossession as weapons of war. Tel Aviv has also forcibly transferred much of Gaza’s population into small enclosures that are “unsafe and uninhabitable.”

Pillay also noted that Tel Aviv has engaged in unprecedented violence in the occupied West Bank since October 7, but those crimes have received little attention due to the near-daily atrocities committed in Gaza.

https://news.antiwar.com/2024/06/19/un-israeli-authorities-responsible-for-crimes-against-humanity/

US still ‘vexed’ by Netanyahu claim of arms holdup: ‘No one has done more for him’

White House expresses fresh displeasure over Tuesday video as top aides Hanegbi, Dermer set to meet with Blinken, Sullivan; PM: I can take criticism as long as we get bombs

The White House expressed deep frustration Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of the United States, pushing back on his complaint that Washington was failing to provide sufficient military support amid the war against Hamas in Gaza.

The White House response came as national security adviser Jake Sullivan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken were set to meet with National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a day after US President Joe Biden’s administration reportedly put the brakes on another planned high-level meeting amid anger over Netanyahu’s comments.

In an English-language video Tuesday, Netanyahu said he told Blinken that it was “inconceivable” that Washington was “withholding weapons and ammunitions” to Israel, an exchange the top US diplomat declined to confirm.

“It was perplexing to say the least, certainly disappointing, especially given that no other country is doing more to help Israel defend itself against the threat by Hamas,” White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday.

“The idea that we had somehow stopped helping Israel with their self-defense needs is absolutely not accurate,” he said, describing the claim as “vexing and disappointing to us as much as it was incorrect.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-still-vexed-by-netanyahu-claim-of-arms-holdup-no-one-has-done-more-for-him/

Jewish People’s Webinar

As antisemitism continues to spread globally, we had an in-depth conversation this week with Fiamma Nirenstein, an Italian-Israeli journalist, author, and former politician, who was recently appointed as Israel’s special envoy to combat antisemitism.

https://youtu.be/mvezjLQ5Tg0

Vietnam’s internet connectivity massively disrupted with 3 undersea cables out, impacting global access.

Vietnam’s internet connectivity has faced disruptions once again due to three out of five submarine internet cables going down around June 15, 2024. These outages have significantly affected Vietnam’s connection with the world, making some offshore websites difficult to access. The impacted cables include:

Intra Asia (IA) connection to Singapore.

Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) link.

Asia-Africa-Europe-1 (AAE-1) pipeline.

As a result, only two subsea cables are currently operational in Vietnam: the Asia-America Gateway (AAG) and the Southeast Asia-Middle East-Western Europe (SMW-3) cables. Repair timelines remain uncertain, as cable repair ships are in short supply, and identifying cable damage can take time

https://citizenwatchreport.com/vietnams-internet-connectivity-massively-disrupted-with-3-undersea-cables-out-impacting-global-access/

RFK Jr. will not qualify for CNN debate with Trump and Biden, CNN says

The debate takes place on June 27

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will not qualify for CNN debate with former President Trump and Joe Biden, CNN said on Thursday.

The debate takes place on June 27.

It is the 2024 first general election debate to take place.

The deadline to qualify for the CNN debate ended shortly after midnight Eastern time. Biden and Trump met the "constitutional, ballot qualification and polling thresholds," according to CNN.

https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/rfk-jr-will-not-qualify-cnn-debate-trump-and-biden-cnn-says