Ruth Michaelson

"Even worse that people actively looking for journalists' work may now be wrongly told it doesn't even exist"

No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say

"In fact, the Israeli military officials said, the U.N. aid delivery system, which Israel derided and undermined, was largely effective in providing food to Gaza’s desperate and hungry population."

Social media giant Meta announced today that it will stop running political, electoral or social issue advertising in the EU from October, instead of complying with the bloc's transparency rules for political advertising.

www.euractiv.com/section/tech...

"Crushed his first six months in historic ways...stunning air strikes in Iran." Trying desperately to understand what compelled the person writing this, including the frat bro tone.

An unbearably sad statement from the Editorial Committee (SDJ) of the AFP news agency, please read:

"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die.
AFP has been working with 1 writer, 3 photographers and 6 videographers, all freelance, in the Gaza Strip… /1

This entire incident has undermined trust in the new government in Damascus, although it is still hard to understand the exact sequence of events in Suwayda. Even so, it is clear that Israeli intervention – including bombing the centre of Damascus – only threatens to inflame things further.

A government fact-finding commission is due to disclose its results re. a spate of killings targeting Syria's Alawite community in March.

Reuters recently reported that 1500 were killed, with government-aligned forces present or participating. Some of the same forces were deployed to Suwayda.

‘It was horrifying beyond words’: hundreds killed in viol... Sectarian clashes between the Druze sect and Bedouin fighters were inflamed by the arrival of government-aligned security forces

People in Suwayda described seeing bodies laying in the streets after days of fighting between Bedouin and Druze militias – & the arrival of security forces aligned to the new government.

My piece for @theobserveruk.bsky.social on the test for Syria's new government as civilians suffer in Suwayda.

Human Rights Defenders Are Fleeing El Salvador as Bukele Cracks Down El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's authoritarian regime is forcing human rights defenders like the nonprofit Cristosal to flee the nation.

"“They wanted us all to run,” says Noah Bullock, director of the Central American human rights organization Cristosal. “They created conditions where there were really no better options. Hundreds of people left the country in the last month.”"

Announcing Grok for Government - a suite of products that make our frontier models available to United States Government customers We are especially excited about two new partnerships for our US Government partners 1) a new contract from the US Department of Defense 2) our products being available to purchase via the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule. This allows every federal government department, agency, or office, to purchase xAI products We're hiring mission driven engineers who want to join the cause

Elon Musk's anti-woke MechaHitler proudly announces a new contract with the Department of Defense

"Despite the fact that generative AI has been a destructive force against their businesses, their industry, and the truth more broadly, media executives still see AI as a business opportunity and a shiny object that they can tell investors and their staffs that they are very bullish on."

Texas Governor’s Office Says Its Emails With Elon Musk May Be, in Part, Too “Embarrassing” to Release to the Public We asked Abbott for his and his staff’s emails with Elon Musk and Musk’s companies. The governor’s office won’t turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” information that is “not...

We asked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for his and his staff’s emails with Elon Musk and Musk’s companies. The governor’s office won’t turn them over, saying some contain “intimate and embarrassing” info that is “not of legitimate concern to the public.” 🤔
@lmcgaughy.bsky.social @kutnews.bsky.social

Freed from ICE detention, Mahmoud Khalil files $20 million claim against Trump administration Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, whose role in campus protests against Israel led to his detention in immigration jail, is seeking $20 million in damages.

This man has more courage than some of the people who hold office in the US right now.

“They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable,” Khalil said. “Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked.”"

The UN Made AI-Generated Refugees The AIs are designed to teach people about atrocities in Sudan.

Via @404media.co: A policy centre run by the UN made AI-generated Sudanese refugees, as well as an AI-generated RSF militia member, to encourage people to chat to them and learn.

Sudan has a population of over 50 million. Why funnel research into this, and not hearing from real Sudanese refugees?

Turkey detains hundreds of Erdogan opponents in pursuit of 'octopus' of corruption Tayyip Erdogan's main political opponents have faced an unprecedented crackdown that has seen more than 500 detained in just nine months, according to a Reuters review of a sprawling investigation that has accelerated dramatically in recent days.

Turkey has detained 500 of Erdogan's opponents - jailing more than 200 of them, including 14 mayors - in unprecedented pursuit of "octopus" of corruption www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Harrowing update on the seemingly endless stream of atrocities being uncovered around Saydnaya and the Assad regime. The challenges that Syria faces today are real and substantial, but the world is a better place now that this regime has been toppled.

So thrilled Google has embedded Gemini into every square inch of its empire—truly revolutionary stuff. Meanwhile, I just tried to merge two calendars and it sent a meeting update to everyone I’ve ever met with since 2019.

Yet again you have to wonder where this mysterious huge constituency of Reform-Labour swing voters is, somehow invisible yet larger than their base. Every time the same mistake, never lessons learned.

Trump administration follows through and issues:

Open-ended general license authorizing transactions prohibited by U.S. sanctions on Syria: home.treasury.gov/news/press-r...

180-day waiver of Caesar Act sanctions: www.state.gov/releases/off...

Waiver certification: www.state.gov/caesar-act-w...

Washington Post "wins" for biggest drop in web visits among top 20 news sites— month-on-month and year-on-year.

Source: PressGazette using Similarweb data. pressgazette.co.uk/media-audien...

This is unfortunately an example of a serious and pressing problem that risks being communicated in a way that is so technical that the public can't fully grasp what's changed: 1.5m people in urgent need of food, &the full Israeli blockade since March means fears more will die from malnutrition.

Barnard suspends WKCR and Spectator reporters who covered Butler Library protest Barnard and Columbia issued interim suspensions Thursday afternoon to four student journalists who covered a Wednesday pro-Palestinian protest in Butler Library, citing “information received” from Pub...

Several Columbia Univ student journalists are suspended after covering protests (while wearing press ID) in the main library.

Their access to campus is blocked, and they can't take final exams.

Also: Columbia's acting president is a former ABC journalist

www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/05...

I have a LOT of questions

The UN's top court dismisses Sudan's genocide case alleging the Emiratis funded RSF rebels The top United Nations court has dismissed a case brought by Sudan accusing the United Arab Emirates of breaching the genocide convention by arming and funding the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support For...

The ICJ dismisses the genocide case brought by Sudan against the United Arab Emirates, citing jurisdiction issues.

@mollyquell.bsky.social & @apnews.com: apnews.com/article/suda...

Mike Waltz Accidentally Reveals Obscure App the Government Is Using to Archive Signal Messages A photograph of Trump administration official Mike Waltz's phone shows him using an unofficial version of Signal designed to archive messages during a cabinet meeting.

Apparently an Israeli company has forked Signal client and added features to retain messages for compliance. As someone else just said to me: what could go wrong? www.404media.co/mike-waltz-a...

Iran had imperial ambitions in Syria. Secret embassy papers show why it failed Iran dreamed up a U.S.-style Marshall Plan to rebuild Syria after the civil war. It invested billions to build influence there. Documents from its looted embassy in Damascus reviewed by Reuters show how that plan went spectacularly wrong with the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.

“A $400 billion opportunity,”- striking details on Iran’s ambitions in Syria, and just how indebted the Assad regime was to Tehran, from documents found in the looted Iranian embassy in Damascus after its fall.

By John Davison, @allisonmartell.bsky.social and @readelev.bsky.social

4-year-old migrant girl, other kids go to court in NYC with no lawyer: 'The cruelty is apparent' The Trump administration cut funding for lawyers aiding unaccompanied minors in court.

"The parties included a 7-year-old boy, wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon, who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke...None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys, only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing."

Apparently Nigel Farage wants the UK to be "self-sufficient in gas".

Nigel, I have good news and bad news.

The bad news is that the UK's North Sea gas output is going to fall by 95%, even if the govt U-turns and issues new licenses.

www.carbonbrief.org/...
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So you are saying an anti-immigration campaign with AfD rhetoric and a 180-degree turn on your campaign promises has ... consequences?

I don't take much comfort in the caveat of "if it's legal" with respect to the potential rendition of US citizens to El Salvador, given that many of this administration's actions seem to have received little or no proper lawyering beforehand.