Under persistent questioning from Judge Cannon, prosecutors declined to divulge details & seemed caught off-guard by the inquiries. At one point, Smith dpy James Pearce said he was “not authorized” to discuss the level of communication.
#Trump publicly claims, w/o evidence, that #JackSmith is essentially a pawn of President Joe #Biden. But in court his lawyers are making a contrary argument: that Smith’s #independence means he’s operating beyond what #DOJ employees are permitted to do. Trump’s lawyers claim that under the #Constitution only an officer appointed by POTUS & confirmed by the Senate can wield the level of power that Smith has. For decades, special counsels have not been presidentially appointed or Senate-confirmed.
This is quite funny: about every 6 days somewhere in the world celebrates #independence from #British rule! The most universal holiday!
Gary #Younge writes: "Britain doesn't have an independence day; it simply looks askance as most of the rest of the world celebrates independence from it."
Today in Labor History June 20, 1763: Wolfe Tone, Irish rebel leader, was born. He helped create the United Irishmen, a Republican organization that fought against British rule in Ireland. The United Irishmen was a relatively nonsectarian organization that united Irishmen of both Protestant and Catholic backgrounds. Wolfe Tone also led the Irish Rebellion of 1798. The leaders of this major uprising were inspired by the French and American Revolutions. They started off strong, winning many battles. However, in the end, the British prevailed, killing up to 50,000 rebels and civilians. Wolfe Tone said, “Our independence must be had at all hazards. If the men with property will not support us, they must fall. We can support ourselves by the aid of that numerous and respectable class of the community: the men of no property.” The British captured Wolfe Tone in November, 1798. Scholars believe he committed suicide in prison a few days later.
Today in Labor History June 14, 1848: Afro-Cuban revolutionary and guerrilla leader Antonio Maceo was born (1848-1896). Known as the "Titan of Bronze," Maceo helped defeat the Spanish and win Cuban independence. People also called him the “Greater Lion.” He participated in over 500 battles during the Ten Years’ War. He earned the Bronze Titan moniker after surviving numerous gunshot and blade wounds. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General within five years. However, he would have risen more quickly if it weren’t for racism.
In a #new, secret recording, the #SupremeCourt justice suggests partisan funding is to blame for coverage of justices’ undisclosed luxury #gifts
In a new recording, #SCOTUS Justice Samuel #Alito lashes out at the news organization #ProPublica, describing the news organization’s #Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the #SupremeCourt as driven by #political animus, insisting: “They don’t like our decisions.”
The #SupremeCourt’s 9 unelected jurists are entrusted w/ vast powers to shape individual & collective rights in America. In 2024, #ProPublica won a #Pulitzer Prize for its
“groundbreaking & ambitious reporting” on the high court & “how a small group of politically influential #billionaires wooed justices w/lavish gifts & travel.”
In essence, #Alito is now accusing #ProPublica of being unduly influenced by the #media org’s own financial patrons. A spox for ProPublica defended its investigative #journalism to RollingStone. “ProPublica exposes abuses of #power no matter which party is in charge ‘ our newsroom operates w/fierce #independence … No donors are made aware of stories before they are published, nor do they have a say as to which stories reporters pursue.”
#Taiwan's military mobilised forces & said it was confident it could protect the island, after #China started 2 days of #punishment drills around Taiwan in what it said was a response to "separatist acts".
The exercises in #TaiwanStrait & around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands…,come 3 days after #Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new #president, a man Beijing detests as a #separatist.
China, which views democratically governed #Taiwan as its own territory, has denounced Lai's inauguration speech on Mon, in which he called on #China to stop its threats & on Tues Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called #Lai "disgraceful".
Lai has repeatedly offered talks w/ China but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, & rejects Beijing's #sovereignty claims.
The Eastern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (#PLA) said it had started joint military drills, involving the army, navy, air force & rocket force, in areas around #Taiwan at 7:45AM.
The drills are being conducted in the Taiwan Strait, the north, south & east of Taiwan, as well as areas around the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, Matsu, Wuqiu & Dongyin, the command said in a statement.
Today in Labor History May 20, 1971: The Chuknagar massacre occurred when Pakistani forces slaughtered thousands of Bengali Hindus. It was one of the largest massacres of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Many people drowned in the river as they fled the gunfire. As a result, an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 people died.
Today in Labor History May 12, 1916: The authorities executed James Connolly on this date for his role in the Easter Rising, which took place in Dublin, the month prior. The uprising sought to end British rule and create an independent Ireland. 485 people died in the fighting, including 143 British soldiers and cops. The rest were mostly Irish civilians. The British took 3,500 prisoners and sent 1,800 to internment camps. They also executed sixteen of the rebel leaders, sparking outrage among the Irish public. Connolly was an Irish republican, socialist and union leader. Prior to the Easter Rising, he lived in Scotland and participated in Scottish socialist organizations. After that, he emigrated to the U.S., where he cofounded the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), along with Lucy Parsons, Mother Jones, Eugene Debs and Big Bill Haywood. He also founded the Irish Socialist Federation in New York. In Ireland, and was a leader of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union. He also participated in the Dublin lock-out, one of the largest and most severe labor disputes in Irish history.
I'm incensed to see #Starmer say ”Winning the trust of people across past divides, such as leave and remain, or yes and no in Scotland, is vital.”
#Brexit and #Scottish independence are not past divides, they're current. Leaving the #EU has been a disaster which in no way resembles the promises of the Leave campaign. #Scotland deserves to be able to reassess the union as so much has changed since the #independence vote a decade ago.
Today in Labor History April 27, 1521: On this day, Philippine Natives fought the battle of Mactan against Ferdinand Magellan. Lapulapu’s warriors ambushed him and overpowered the Spanish forces. They killed Magellan with a poison arrow. Their victory delayed Spanish colonization of the Philippines by forty-four years. For centuries, native Muslim Filipinos fought wars against their Spanish rulers. The Spanish saw these as a continuation of the Reconquista of Spain from the Moors. They brought in conscripts from Mexico and Latin America, including many Native Americans. Mortality was high on both sides. Many conscripts fled into the countryside, or joined with the Filipino forces. Yet, despite all the slaughter and repression of Native Filipinos, the colony was never profitable to Spain. During the 1800s, Filipino immigrants fought alongside Latin Americans in their wars for independence from Spain. In 1896, Filipinos fought their own war for independence from Spain.
When the U.S. initially landed in the Philippines, in 1898, they supported Filipinos in their uprising against Spain. However, by August, 1898, the U.S. had ended their collaboration with Native Filipinos and soon annexed the country. American rule was brutal. In 1899, American went to war against their colonial subjects. The war was far deadlier and more costly than their war against Spain. 4,200 American soldiers, up to 20,000 Philippine soldiers, and at least 200,000 civilians died.
The Japanese occupation during World War II was also brutal. In the most infamous example, 10,000 Filipino and 1,200 U.S. soldiers died in the brutal Bataan Death March. However, during the occupation, Filipino guerillas fought an insurgency against the Japanese. Consequently, the Philippines became the costliest theatre of war for the Japanese. Nearly 500,000 Japanese died fighting in the Philippines. But it was much worse for Filipinos, with over 1 million dying during World War II. The Battle of Leyte Gulf, toward the end of World War II, was the largest naval battle in history.
Mark Twain, who was vice-president of the American Anti-Imperialist League from 1901 until his death in 1910 said “I have read carefully the treaty of Paris and I have seen that we do not intend to free, but to subjugate the people of the Philippines. We have gone there to conquer, not to redeem… And so I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.”
Today in Labor History April 24, 1916: The Easter rising began in Dublin. Irish rebels, led by James Connolly and Patrick Pearce, attempted to end British rule and create an independent Ireland. The armed uprising lasted six days. Men and women participated. 485 people died in the fighting, including 143 British soldiers and cops. The rest were mostly Irish civilians. The British ultimately prevailed. They took 3,500 prisoners and sent 1,800 to internment camps. They also executed sixteen of the Rising’s leaders, sparking outrage among the Irish public.
James Connolly was an Irish republican, socialist and union leader. Prior to the Easter Rising, he lived in Scotland and participated in Scottish socialist organizations. After that, he emigrated to the U.S., where he joined the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and founded the Irish Socialist Federation in New York. In Ireland, he was a leader of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union and participated in the Dublin lock-out, one of the largest and most severe labor disputes in Irish history.
Not even English.. 👀Apparently St George was made the patron Saint because he stood with courage to face adversity in order to defend the innocent. The triumph of good over evil, through courage. Absolutely the opposite of the evil Conservatives we are governed by today! Not for long now though..🤞#independence#scottishindependence#youyesyet
Today in Labor History April 14, 1919: Workers in Limerick, Ireland, initiated a General Strike against the British military occupation. They ran the city as a soviet for two weeks. Workers printed their own newspaper and issued their own currency, which local businesses accepted. They also regulated food supplies to keep prices low and prevent profiteering. Numerous other soviets were created during the Irish War of Independence.
In the last week or so, I've noticed that mastodon.social has started hiding the profiles of basically harmless #scottish#independence accounts, whilst leaving what are obviously pro-Putin disinfo accounts visible.
Does anyone know what's going on with the admin, and who do I talk to?
In not-unrelated news, it may finally be time for me to get off my arse and move to a smaller server. Does anyone have a good guide on how to do that as of early 2024?
Today in Labor History March 23, 1931: The authorities hanged Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar for killing a deputy superintendent of police during the Indian Independence movement. Singh was a anti-colonial revolutionary, from Punjab, who was inspired by both Bolshevism and anarchism.
Today in Labor History March 11, 1858: The Great Indian Mutiny, also known as the Sepoy Rebellion, ended with massacres by the British. 6,000 British troops died in the fighting. However, at least 800,000 Indians died in the fighting and from the famines and epidemics that resulted.
Revolusi: Indonesia and the Birth of the Modern World by David van Reybrouck
In this vivid history, renowned scholar and celebrated author of Congo David Van Reybrouck captures a period of extraordinary tumult and chaos to tell the story of Indonesia’s momentous revolution, known as the “Revolusi.”
Today in Labor History March 2, 1974: Salvador Puig Antich was executed by garrote in Barcelona, Spain. He was a militant anarchist and Catalan independence fighter who fought against the Spanish state with the terrorist group Iberian Liberation Movement in the early 1970s. He was convicted of bank robbery and killing a police officer. His arrest and execution became a cause célèbre in Francoist Spain for Catalan autonomists, pro-independence supporters, and anarchists. He was also the last person executed by the fascist Franco regime. His execution inspired new artistic works by Catalan artists Joan Miró and Antoni Tàpies.
Today in Labor History February 28, 1947: The Kuomintang government in Taiwan put down an anti-government uprising known as the February 28 Incident. They killed 28,000 civilians. And in the White Terror that followed, the government killed, imprisoned or disappeared 30,000 more. These events helped spark the Taiwanese independence movement.
Today in Labor History February 24, 1895: Revolution broke out in Baire, near Santiago de Cuba. This was the beginning of the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898). The liberation war ended with the Spanish-American War and the U.S. taking Cuba as a colony. Some of the more well-known commanders of the Cuban revolution were the poet Jose Marti (composer of “Guantanamera”) and Antonio Maceo, the Titan of Bronze.
Today, for Black History Month, we remember events of February 6, 1694: When the Brazilian authorities captured Dandara, warrior queen of the runaway slaves in Quilombo dos Palmares. She committed suicide to avoid being forced back into slavery. Quilombo dos Palmares was a community of Afro-Brazilian people who freed themselves from enslavement. The community survived for nearly 90 years, with up to 30,000 residents, before the government finally suppressed it in 1694. Members of the community would raid plantations, slaughter the owners and free the slaves to come join them in Palmares. They used guerilla warfare, using weapons obtained from Portuguese traders and, possibly, capoeira.
As a young girl, Dandara joined a group of Afro-Brazilians to fight against slavery in Brazil. As an adult, she helped create military strategies to protect Palmares. She played an important role in making her husband, Zumbi dos Palmares, cut ties with his uncle Ganga-Zumba, who was the first big chief of Quilombo dos Palmares. In 1678, Ganga-Zumba signed a peace treaty with the government. All those born in Palmares were to be free and given permission to engage in commerce. However, in exchange, they had to stop giving refuge to runaway slaves and collaborate with the Portuguese authorities in arresting runaways. Dandara and Zumbi opposed the deal because it did not end slavery and made Palmares complicit in its perpetuation.
The story of Zumbi, Dandara and the Quilombo do Palmares is depicted in the truly superb 1984 film “Quilombo,” directed by Carlos Diegues, with music by Gilberto Gil.