Image is of the damage caused by an Iranian Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile in Israel, causing dozens of injuries.


Now in our second week of the conflict, we have seen continuing damage to both Israel and Iran, as well as direct US intervention which nonetheless seems to have caused limited damage to Fordow and little damage to Iran’s nuclear program. Regime change seems more elusive than ever, as even Iranians previously critical of the government now rally around it as they are attacked by two rabid imperialists at once. And Iran’s government is tentatively considering a withdrawal, or at minimum a reconsideration, of their membership to the IAEA and the NPT. And, of course, the Strait of Hormuz is still a tool in their arsenal.

A day or so on from the strike on Fordow, we have so far seen basically no change in strategy from the Iranian military as they continue to strike Israel with small barrages of missiles. Military analysts argue furiously - is this a deliberate strategy of steady attrition on Israel, or indicative of immense material constraints on Iran? Are the hits by Israel on real targets, or are they decoys? Does Iran wish to develop a nuke, or are they still hesitating? Will Iran and Yemen strike at US warships and bases in response to the attack, or will they merely continue striking only Israel?

And perhaps most importantly - will this conflict end diplomatically due to a lack of appetite for an extended war (to wit: not a peace but a 20 year armistice) or with Israel forced into major concessions including an end to their genocide? Or even with a total military/societal collapse of either side?


Last week’s thread is here. The Imperialism Reading Group is here.

Please check out the RedAtlas!

The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.

Israel-Palestine Conflict

If you have evidence of Israeli crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against Israel. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA reports on Israel’s destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

English-language PalestineResist telegram channel.
More telegram channels here for those interested.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

Defense Politics Asia’s youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.


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    the newsmega can have a little ‘is zohran mao or obama’ struggle session as a treat (such as in this subthread) but this is the world newsmega, not the electoralism-mega and so please limit zohran posting to a dull roar. things like zohran struggle sessions are literally exactly what c/electoralism was made for, not the news mega.

    along the same lines, zionists and fascists are having a shitfit about zohran and yes it is funny, but let’s try to keep the newsmega to only the dankest of memes and the saltiest of zionist tears. we don’t need to hear about every DC think tankie pondering the orb with bill ackman.

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    Yesterday, rural Idaho firefighters were responding to a bushfire when they were shot.

    Two fire fighters dead, third wounded but stabilized after being sniped at by unknown shooter in Idaho

    Suspect Idaho sniper dead, unknown cause, sherif department grabbed body and evidence as they were at risk from the fire.

    It is likely the unknown shooter set the fire as bait to lure in firefighters with the intent to murder them.

    Local speculation guesses shooter had ties to neo-nazis, though no information about the shooter has been released yet, due to the fact that exatly 24 years ago to the date, on June 29, 2001, firefighters participated in a training exercise in which they burned down a former security house at the Aryan Nations compound near Hayden Lake, Idaho. The house was located just a few miles from the site of Sunday’s ambush.

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    Communist candidate calls for unity after winning primaries in Chile - Prensa Latina

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    Santiago de Chile, Jun 30 (Prensa Latina) After winning the primary elections of the Unity for Chile pact, Jeannette Jara called for the unity of progressivism to continue working today for the country and offer it an alternative in the next elections.

    Jara, who competed for the Communist Party (CCP), was elected this Sunday as the ruling party’s candidate for the November presidential elections, with 60.20 percent of the votes.

    “This is a collective project in which everyone has played a fundamental role. I have said it several times, I do not come to sell empty promises, nor easy solutions. I do not come with miracles, but with the guarantee that we will work tirelessly for our country,” she said.

    The representative of the PCCh, supported by Acción Humanista and the Christian Left, won widely against Carolina Tohá, of the Partido por la Democracia, who obtained 28.07 points, despite having the support of the Socialists, Radicals, Liberals and Christian Democrats.

    Gonzalo Winter, of the Frente Amplio (9.02) and Jaime Mulet, of the Federación Regionalista Verde Social (2.74) also participated in the race.

    “This road has been traveled together by two men and two women who accepted the challenge of building a common path from our positions. Without them none of this would be possible and it is with them that we are going to continue walking,” he said.

    Before a crowd gathered at Ricardo Cumming Avenue, in this capital city, Jara especially greeted the Communist Party of Chile, of which he is a member, as well as the other left-wing, progressive and social-democratic groups that make up Unity for Chile.

    She also thanked former President Michelle Bachelet for charting the way forward for the women of this country.

    The also former Minister of Labor considered among the main tasks of her program to advance economic growth, achieve a living wage for all workers, strengthen and modernize the health system, emphasize mental health and continue with housing programs. Public safety will also be among his priorities, in order to ensure that people live in peace in neighborhoods, towns and workplaces.

    Jara will face Evelyn Matthei of the conservative Chile Vamos alliance, José Antonio Kast of the far-right Republican party, Francesca Muñoz of the Social Christian party and Johannes Kaiser of the National Libertarian party at the polls next November.

    In his speech, he called “not to let go of our hands, but to keep them together to face the far right from the widest possible political and social unity and stop it. That is our task for what is to come,” he said.

  • Redcuban1959 [any]@hexbear.net
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    Confirmed victory of the left in Chile’s primary elections - Prensa Latina

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    Santiago de Chile, Jun 29 (Prensa Latina) With almost all the votes counted, the victory of the left wing in the primary elections of the bloc of government parties, grouped in the Unity for Chile coalition, was confirmed today.

    The last report of the Electoral Service (Servel), corresponding to 99.37 percent of the polling stations, ratifies the victory of the candidate for the Communist Party of Chile, Jeannette Jara, with 60.20 percentage points.

    The candidate of the Party for Democracy, Carolina Tohá, who had the support of the Socialists, Liberals, Radicals and Christian Democrats, finished in second place with 28.03 percent.

    Thus, the predictions that the event would be defined between two women, Jara, former Minister of Labor, and Tohá, former Minister of the Interior, were confirmed.

    Gonzalo Winter, proposed by the Frente Amplio, the party to which President Gabriel Boric belongs, was third with 9.02, and the last place went to Jaime Mulet, of the Federación Regionalista Verde Social, who reached 2.75 percent.

    The Servel informed that one million 413 thousand 285 citizens participated in the elections, who cast one million 365 thousand 731 valid votes, 33 thousand 659 invalid votes and 13 thousand 804 blank votes.

    The total number is below the thresholds considered adequate for a vote of this nature, which ranged between 1.5 and two million. A total of 15.4 million citizens were eligible to participate.

    Among the reasons for the low turnout were the harsh weather this Sunday, which in several central and southern regions of the country was below zero degrees, and the voluntary nature of the vote.

    The president of the Servel, Pamela Figueroa, told Prensa Latina that as the day progressed, the number of people going to the polls increased after a morning with a low turnout.

    The official assured that the day passed with total normality in the country.

    Everything is now ready for the November 16 presidential elections and an eventual second round, scheduled for December 14, where Jeannette Jara, at the head of the Unity for Chile alliance, will face right-wing and extreme right-wing parties.

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    The left in chile is having their primary election to choose who would be the coalitions candidate for presidency, it looks like the candidate of the communist party is in the lead but still the vote are still being counted

    article in spanish

    Looks like she won

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    A big reason why the Dems are focusing more on the NY mayoral race than on Trump’s Big B Bill - both versions of the BBB (House & Senate) include a big SALT deduction increase, something that Dems always want, since it benefits mostly rich Dem donors in blue states.

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    NATO Summit’s Viral ‘Daddy’ Joke Exposes Europe’s Sidelined Agenda - Telesur English

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    The summit reflected NATO’s shift toward U.S.-centric theatrics, with Europe’s core concerns largely pushed aside. The two-day NATO summit that concluded Wednesday in the Netherlands will be remembered less for its policy outcomes than for a flippant moment that dominated headlines: the now-infamous “Daddy” joke.

    During the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump likened Israel and Iran to unruly children, while NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, in a display of flattery, compared Trump to a “dad” stepping in to discipline them. “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop,” Rutte said.

    Trump appeared quite pleased with Rutte’s “Daddy” nickname, telling reporters at a later press conference Wednesday that the remark was meant “very affectionately.” “Daddy, you’re my Daddy,” Trump mimicked.

    Rutte later defended the comment, but only doubled down on the flattery, calling Trump a “good friend” and insisting that his military strike on Iran “deserves all the praise.”

    While the “Daddy” joke went viral, the actual summit yielded little of substance. Media outlets noted that the fawning “Daddy” joke ended up stealing the spotlight, underscoring a sobering reality: The summit reflected NATO’s shift toward U.S.-centric theatrics, with Europe’s core concerns largely pushed aside.

    The final communique, just five paragraphs long, was the shortest in NATO’s history and focused heavily on military spending, at Washington’s insistence. Britain and the Netherlands indeed announced new military aid packages for Ukraine.

    However, these commitments were made bilaterally rather than through NATO’s collective framework. Notably, the summit’s final communique omitted the 2024 declaration that Ukraine’s path to NATO membership was “irreversible,” signaling a potential shift in the alliance’s stance.

    In their place came a symbolic commitment to boost defense spending, largely intended to appease Trump. NATO members agreed to raise military spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035, more than doubling the previous 2-percent guideline.

    Yet even as Trump made clear that the United States would not be bound by the new target, he insisted that others must comply. Spain, Slovakia, and Belgium openly questioned the feasibility of such increases, citing domestic constraints and economic priorities.

    Amid chuckles and laughters prompted by the “Daddy” jest, a fact about NATO is evident: Europe has to give in from time to time while Washington never forgets to take advantage of the situation.

  • Redcuban1959 [any]@hexbear.net
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    Yesterday, Iran refused entry to IAEA inspectors at several nuclear sites, and is planning to expel all inspectors from the country – Politico

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    NEWS — Senate R’s refusing Dem request for a bipartisan meeting with the parliamentarian on using current policy baseline to pay for tax cuts.

    As far as I understand this, Republicans don’t even want to have a vote to disregard the Senate Parliamentarian (as the Senate rules allow), but want to just pretend the Senate Parliamentarian doesn’t exist. If this doesn’t work, they will go with the vote thing anyway, or just fire the Parliamentarian. But in any case, pretending the Parliamentarian doesn’t exist is the only correct thing to do. Maybe some day, a politician will do the same thing but in order to pass good legislation.

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    Popular support for Japanese government decreases - Prensa Latina

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    Tokyo, Jun 30 (Prensa Latina) The Japanese government headed by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces a complex situation today when half of the voters indicated that they plan to back other options in next month’s parliamentary elections.

    This is reflected in a national survey conducted by the Kyodo News Agency on voting intentions for the elections to the Upper House of the Japanese Parliament, which will take place on July 20.

    According to the survey, 50.2 percent of those polled want the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by Ishiba, and its coalition partner, Komeito, to lose their majority in the Upper House of the National Assembly, while 38.1 percent maintain their support for the LDP.

    The ruling party obtained the worst result in the last 15 years in the legislative elections of the Lower House (House of Representatives), held in October.

    According to Kyodo, when voters were asked which key election issue matters most in deciding which party or candidate to vote for, 31.9 percent of respondents cited measures against price hikes, while 16.9 percent chose pensions and other social welfare measures.

    On the other hand, Ishiba’s cabinet approval rating stood at 32.4 percent, while the disapproval rating was 57.8 percent.

    In July 2025, the six-year term of office of half of the current deputies comes to an end, and if the LDP also loses its majority in the Upper House, pressures for the prime minister to resign could increase in a particularly complex context.

    Japan is facing an economic crisis aggravated by harsh tariff policies imposed in recent months by US President Donald Trump.

    The results of the Tokyo regional assembly elections earlier this month dealt another blow to the LDP, which won a record low number of seats.

    In view of the tough economic situation, the electoral campaign - scheduled to begin on July 3 - is expected to focus on measures to alleviate and overcome the crisis, as well as to support the people in the face of so many difficulties.

  • edge [he/him]@hexbear.net
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    5 days ago

    Mike Lee dropped the massive federal land sell off from the bill because he “was unable to secure clear, enforceable safeguards to guarantee that these lands would be sold only to American families—not to China, not to BlackRock, and not to any foreign interests”.

    At least that major ecological disaster has been avoided.

    For now.

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    The DPRK undergoes testing for their new AEW&C aircraft, based on a modified Il-76 model. It appears that it will be online shortly. It has been under development for around 2 years.