TV News LIES

The end of the 60 Minutes broadcast as we know it has sickened millions of longtime viewers, colleagues, and all of us who are offended and threatened by our current administration and its cronies’ assaults on the first amendment. The news of Scott Pelley’s firing hits particularly hard. He spoke of “risking my life and the happiness of my family because of my devotion to the broadcast”.

Having literally grown up with that broadcast – my father, Morley Safer, joined the program when I was eight months old and retired 46 years later – I am acutely aware of the costs of that devotion. 60 Minutes, particularly in its early days, demanded commitments of time and travel that were keenly felt at home.

I have early memories of trying to speak to my dad through the TV on Sunday niI imagine their families feel similar grief in the wake of the news from CBS, and Washington’s broader attacks on the first amendment. The most trusted and esteemed program in American journalism, the legacy of our loved ones’ hard work and its accompanying sacrifices on the home front, has, in Pelley’s words, been murdered.

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A shooting near a community festival in Toledo, Ohio, wounded at least 12 people on Saturday, with police saying a search for the suspects was ongoing.

Two of the wounded were in a critical condition, Toledo deputy police chief Joe Heffernan said. He said it appeared there were at least two people firing weapons who were “probably shooting at each other”.

The Toledo police department said the shooting happened near the Old West End festival, an annual gathering of live music and home tours in a historic district of the city.

The department said an active search was under way for those responsible.

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Israeli troops shot at a car in the occupied West Bank, killing a 7-month-old Palestinian baby and wounding his parents, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the bullet striking the boy in the face.

The Israeli military said that soldiers shot at a vehicle perceived to be accelerating toward them near Hebron. It said an initial inquiry found that the three Palestinians wounded were uninvolved civilians.

Israeli military activity, and settler violence against Palestinians, have surged in the territory since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

The baby’s father, Bethlehem University lecturer Fahd Abu Haikal, told The Associated Press that a bullet struck the windshield before piercing his right hand and striking his son and wife in the back seat Friday evening. Another bullet struck the hood, according to AP journalists who saw the car.

The bullet passed through Sam Fahd Abu Haikal’s face.

“He was the entire world,” Haikal said of the boy, who turned seven months on Friday.

The mother was in critical condition, with shrapnel close to her heart.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) said Saturday that Democrats have lost sight of the important economic issues facing working-class Americans as the party works to rebuild itself after a devastating loss in the 2024 presidential election.

“The party, as a whole, has lost its focus on working people,” Mamdani said in an interview with MS Now.

“People want to know: What are you going to do for rent? What are you going to do for housing? What are you going to do for gas? What are you going to do for groceries? We have to have answers to that.”

Issues like housing affordability, the cost of healthcare and rising gas prices should be at the forefront of the party’s focus, according to Mamdani, rather than ideological battles that distract from what matters to most Americans.

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A federal judge on Friday, June 5, blocked the Trump administration from enforcing new conditions on billions of dollars in federal nutrition funding, siding with a coalition of Democratic-led states that argued the requirements threatened programs serving low-income families.

U.S. District Judge Myong Joun granted a preliminary injunction sought by 20 states and the District of Columbia, temporarily halting the U.S. Department of Agriculture's effort to tie funding to compliance with a range of federal policy priorities, according to reports from AP News, Newsweek and Reuters.

The challenged requirements applied to USDA grants and programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps roughly 39 million Americans buy groceries. States argued the new conditions jeopardized funding already approved by Congress and could disrupt critical food assistance programs while the lawsuit moves forward.

Joun, who sits on the federal bench in Boston, said he would issue a written memorandum explaining his decision at a later date.

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June 6, 1944: The Day That Changed the War

Before sunrise on June 6, 1944, thousands of Allied soldiers crossed the English Channel toward Nazi-occupied France in what would become the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The operation, known as Operation Overlord, was commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower and involved troops from the United States, Britain, Canada, and several Allied nations.

During the night, thousands of paratroopers were dropped behind enemy lines to secure key roads, bridges, and strategic positions. As dawn broke, massive waves of soldiers approached the beaches of Normandy aboard landing craft while warships and aircraft provided support.

The invasion force landed across five designated beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. German defenses were strong, and some sectors saw intense fighting. At Omaha Beach, American troops faced particularly heavy resistance, suffering significant casualties as they fought their way off the shoreline.

Despite the challenges, Allied forces gradually pushed inland, establishing a crucial foothold in France. The success of D-Day opened a new front in Western Europe and marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. Less than a year later, Germany surrendered, bringing the war in Europe to a close.

Today, D-Day remains one of the most significant military operations in history, remembered for the courage, sacrifice, and determination of the soldiers who took part in it.

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Negative views of both Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have soared since last year across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, according to a new poll from Pew Research Center. 

Out of 36 countries, majorities in 32 of them have either a very unfavourable or somewhat unfavourable view of Israel, with only respondents in India, Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya holding a favourable view of the country.

The survey was conducted between 8 February and 13 May of this year. The US-Israel war on Iran started on 28 February and has had an impact on countries across the world, in part likely due to the economic impact of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where around 20 percent of the global oil supply passes through. 

Pew reported that across 36 countries, a median of 67 percent of adults held an unfavourable view of Israel, with just 25 percent holding a favourable view. 

Turkey, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem had the highest percentage of unfavourable views of Israel, with Turkey at 97 percent and Japan at 83 percent.

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Democrat Xavier Becerra will advance to the November election for California governor, according to a race call by The Associated Press. After days of counting ballots, it remains unclear who will claim the second spot in the fall.

In California's unusual primary system, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot open to any registered voter. The top two candidates then move on to the general election. An estimated 3.5 million uncounted ballots remain. The state also counts mail-in ballots that arrive up to seven days after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day.

The state hasn't had a wide-open primary like this one since the late 1990s. The winner in November will lead the country's most populous state, facing a large deficit and other obstacles, including the state's high cost of living, homelessness and wildfire risk. Incumbent Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is term limited and is widely thought to be running for president in 2028.

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