G3 News

Harris Campaign Says Kamala Doesn't Believe Israel is Committing Genocide in Gaza

Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign has clarified that she does not believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza after an incident at a rally suggested that she did.

At a campaign event at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a protester interrupted Harris and said she invested “billions of dollars in genocide” and pressed her about the massive child casualties in Gaza, repeatedly describing the Israeli onslaught as a genocide.

Addressing the students, Harris said, “What he’s talking about, it’s real. That’s not the subject that I came to discuss today, but it’s real, and I respect his voice.”

A spokesperson for Harris’s campaign said Sunday (Oct. 20) that the comments made by the protester “don’t reflect the position of the Biden-Harris administration or the vice president’s stance.”

The spokesperson added that Harris “didn’t agree with defining the war as a genocide, and she has not expressed such a stance in the past, as this is not her position.”

Source: https://news.antiwar.com/2024/10/21/harris-campaign-says-she-denies-israel-is-committing-genocide-in-gaza/

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries Arrested on Sex Trafficking Charges

The former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, Mike Jeffries, has been arrested on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges, according to two senior law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.

Jeffries has been arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida. Two other associates, Matthew Smith of West Palm Beach and James Jacobson of Wisconsin, were also arrested in connection with sex trafficking charges.

They are expected to appear in federal court in Florida and Wisconsin today, and arraigned on a later date in the eastern District of New York.

Jeffries was the CEO of the popular clothing brand from 1992 to 2014.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-abercrombie-fitch-ceo-mike-jeffries-arrested-sex-trafficking-ch-rcna176555

Pentagon Chief Visits Ukraine, Announces New $400 Million Weapons Package

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on Monday (Oct. 21) and announced a new $400 million weapons package.

The Pentagon said that during the visit, Austin will “meet with Ukrainian leadership and underscore the US commitment to providing Ukraine with the security assistance it needs to defend itself from Russian aggression on the battlefield.”

Austin’s visit comes as Russian forces are taking back territory in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and continuing to make gains in eastern Ukraine. In the face of these advances, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has unveiled his so-called “Victory Plan,” which is essentially a list of demands for more military aid from his Western backers.

Zelensky is also asking for NATO to support long-range strikes inside Russian territory and for NATO countries to help shoot down Russian missiles and drones over Ukraine. But so far, those requests, which risk nuclear war, have been rejected by the US and NATO.

Despite no clear path for a Ukrainian victory, the US continues to fuel the proxy war with fresh weapons shipments. The $400 million arms package Austin announced will be provided through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the US to send weapons straight from US military stockpiles.

The Pentagon said in a press release that the package includes:

- Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition
- 60mm, 81mm, and 120mm mortar systems and rounds
- Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missiles
- Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
- M113 Armored Personnel Carriers
- Satellite communication equipment
- Small arms and ammunition
- Grenades and training equipment
- Demolitions equipment and munitions
- Equipment to protect critical national infrastructure
- Spare parts, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation

Source: https://news.antiwar.com/2024/10/21/austin-visits-ukraine-announces-new-400-million-weapons-package/

Seven Israelis Accused of Giving Info to Iran on Targeted IDF Bases

In an unexpected and somewhat bizarre new development out of Israel, government authorities say they've busted up a significant spy network, arresting seven Israeli citizens for gathering information on behalf of Iranian intelligence.

Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet announced Monday (Oct. 21) that it "successfully dismantled a spy network involving seven Israeli citizens who were operating on behalf of Iranian intelligence."

The detained have been identified as Jewish residents of Haifa and the north, even including an IDF soldier who had deserted the military. They have been named in Israeli press reports as Azis Nisanov, Alexander Sadykov, Vyacheslav Gushchin, Yevgeny Yoffe and Yigal Nissan - with the other two names not disclosed as they have been deemed minors.

Shin Bet has said the group conducted hundreds of small operations on behalf of Tehran, mostly focused on photographing and monitoring sensitive military sites, even the locations of where Iron Dome battery sites are positioned.

Some of these very sites were targeted by Iran's Oct.1st ballistic missile attack, or else they have also been targeted by Hezbollah rockets from the north.

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/seven-israelis-accused-giving-info-iran-targeted-idf-bases

The Pentagon Wants to Flood Social Media with Fake AI People

Pentagon-operated AI personas might be coming to an internet forum near you.

As The Intercept reports, a wishlist put forward by the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) — a furtive counterterrorism group within the US Department of Defense (DoD) — reveals the agency's interest in using generative AI to create fake online internet users.

That's despite the US government's persistent warnings that deepfakes and other AI-generated content will deepen the misinformation crisis and lead to a muddier information ecosystem for everyone.

In the document, JSOC explains that it's seeking "technologies that can generate convincing online personas for use on social media platforms, social networking sites, and other online content" for use by Special Operations Forces. This "solution," JSOC adds, "should include facial and background imagery, facial and background video, and audio layers."

According to the wishlist, JSOC wants SOF agents to "use this capability to gather information from public online forums."

In other words, JSOC wants to provide its special ops teams with the technology to create sophisticated, bespoke AI deepfakes, capable of convincing social media users that they're the real deal for the sake of information-gathering efforts.

Source: https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-wants-fake-ai-people

Fethullah Gulen, Alleged Mastermind of 2016 Coup In Turkey, Dies at 83

Fethullah Gulen, the Turkish religious leader who founded the Gulen Movement, died in the US state of Pennsylvania on Sunday night aged 83.

Gulen and his movement were accused by the Turkish government of masterminding a failed military coup in July 2016, which left hundreds of Turks dead.

The movement itself denied involvement in the attempt to depose the Turkish government, but its role in the coup attempt is accepted across Turkish society and even amongst opponents of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

From his base in the US, Gulen's movement established schools, a media conglomerate with magazines, newspapers, and TV stations, as well as business unions.

When Erdogan entered office as prime minister in 2003, Gulen already had a large network of followers within the state, which was previously dominated by Turkish nationalists, secularists and others.

Erdogan initially allied himself with Gulen to strengthen his own influence over the police and judiciary, as well as to undercut the military’s influence over politics.

Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/erdogans-arch-enemy-fethullah-gulen-dies

EU Troops Could Be Deployed to Ukraine – Politico

The EU should return to the idea of putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has argued in a statement to Politico.

The diplomat insisted that Brussels should revive talks about deploying EU forces in Ukraine in response to reports of North Korean ammunition and soldiers supposedly taking part in the hostilities on the side of Russia.

“If information about Russia’s killing squads being equipped with North Korean ammunition and military personnel is confirmed, we have to get back to ‘boots on the ground’ and other ideas proposed by Emmanuel Macron,” Landsbergis told the outlet.

Allegations of Pyongyang supplying soldiers and equipment to Russia were originally raised by Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky last week and have been seconded by South Korea. However, neither the US nor NATO has yet been able to confirm any of these reports, while Moscow has dismissed the speculations as a “bogus story.”

Source: https://www.rt.com/russia/606042-eu-troops-ukraine-politico/

Pentagon Pours Cold Water On Zelensky's Claim Of North Korean Troops In Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has of late begun pushing hard new accusations that at least 10,000 North Korean troops are being sent to Ukraine where they will fight on behalf of the Russians.

South Korea’s spy agency had also backed Zelensky's claim, chiming in on Friday (Oct. 18) to say that at least 1,500 North Korean special forces have already been sent. The spy agency says it has satellite images tracking these movements. But over the weekend the Pentagon refused to back the reports, with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin explaining that he can't confirm this narrative.

"I’ve seen those reports in the media. I can’t confirm those reports at this point in time. This is something that we will certainly continue to investigate," Austin said Sunday (Oct. 20).

Zelensky has been pushing the idea that the 'enemies' of the West have formed an axis to fight in Ukraine and ultimately push back NATO. He's identified them as Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

Source: https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/pentagon-pours-cold-water-zelenskys-claim-north-korean-troops-ukraine

President Xi Orders Chinese Military to Prepare for War

Chinese President Xi Jinping called this week for troops to strengthen their preparedness for war, state media reported on Saturday (Oct. 19), just days after Beijing staged large-scale military drills around Taiwan.

Xi made his comments while visiting a brigade of the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force on Thursday (Oct. 17), according to state-run broadcaster CCTV.

Xi said the military should "comprehensively strengthen training and preparation for war, (and) ensure troops have solid combat capabilities," CCTV reported.

Soldiers must "enhance their strategic deterrent and combat capability," Xi said.

Source: https://www.wionews.com/world/xi-jinping-orders-chinese-troops-to-boost-war-preparedness-768957

Israel Starts Bombing Banks in Lebanon

Late Sunday (Oct. 20), the Israeli military began launching a series of airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs of Dahieh and in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, targeting the branches of a bank.

The strikes began shortly after an Israeli military spokesman said the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would start hitting buildings that belong to al-Qard al-Hassan Association, a bank that Israel accused of financing Hezbollah.

“The air force will launch extensive strikes on targets in the southern suburb of Beirut, targeting Hezbollah-linked economic assets,” IDF spokesman Daniel Hagari said not long before the strikes were launched.

Al-Qard al-Hassan is under US sanctions over allegations related to Hezbollah, but the bank is also used by ordinary Lebanese citizens. According to Reuters, the bank has 30 branches across Lebanon, including 15 in densely populated parts of Beirut and its suburbs.

Lebanon’s National News Agency reported at least 11 Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, including one that landed near Beirut International Airport, and many targeted al-Qard al-Hassan buildings. Several strikes were also reported in the Bekaa Valley.

The bank issued a statement assuring its customers that it had taken “all of the necessary procedures since the beginning of the war to safeguard your deposits and valuables and can confirm that you should not worry they are safe.”

Source: https://news.antiwar.com/2024/10/20/israel-starts-bombing-banks-in-lebanon/