Image is of Trump’s initial set of reciprocal tariffs. Source is CNN and Reuters.
It’s difficult to keep up with the news around the tariffs; they get instated, then dropped, then reinstated… for example, on Friday, Trump said that certain electronics like smartphones would be exempt, causing markets to rally a great deal, but now the Commerce Secretary has said that they might not be exempt? The state of play right now, if you haven’t been keeping up this week, is that the US recently announced a 90-day global pause on implementing the tariffs he had planned (that is, 25% on certain Canadian and Mexican goods, and at least 10% on every other nation) but nonetheless increased tariffs on China to 145%.
Meanwhile, China has been - quite remarkably - standing their ground, increasing tariffs on the US to 125%, and putting restrictions on rare earths. Xi Jinping has been in Vietnam and has made statements against a tariff war there, saying that it would have no winners. Meanwhile, a Chinese spokesperson has essentially said that China can endure the tariff war due to the increasing demand from its domestic market in combination with its growing economic ties with other countries.
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
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.
UK Supreme Court has ruled that the concept of sex is strictly binary, and based on sex at birth.
Trans women are now excluded from women’s spaces and services, even if they have a gender recognition certificate. Discrimination is now codified.
not sure if posted but CW:SA Israeli Minister Orit Strook’s daughter accuses parents of sexually assaulting her as a child https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bL6S5e3-KB4
‘Won’t stay silent’, China responds to White House’s 245% retaliatory tariffs
China responds: ‘We don’t want conflict, but won’t stay silent’
Reacting to the tariff hike, China’s foreign ministry reiterated that it seeks no confrontation but will not remain silent in the face of US pressure. “If the US truly wants to resolve issues through dialogue, it must stop exerting maximum pressure,” a spokesperson stated, adding that the ball was now in Washington’s court.
Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang condemned the US for what he called its “wanton” use of force, warning that such tactics won’t restore American greatness.
US pulled funding for the CVE program
It gave cybersecurity folks across the globe common language and identifiers for problems that needed fixing; it’s gonna be a shit show for a little while until the EU steps in and takes that mantle.
I don’t have a good emoji for setting soft power on fire at the expense of a functioning internet.
ICE nuking tourism by kidnapping random tourists.
the zionist regime’s latest ceasefire offer is peace when all groups in Gaza disarm (obviously this was rejected)
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/g-s1-60361/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire-talks
Some combat footage from Russia’s special military operation.
Russian drones destroyed Kiev regime military equipment near the Belgorod oblast border: https://s5.cdnstatic.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1-1.mp4?_=1
A Russian drone operator discovered a gap in a ‘drone net’ covered road…: https://odysee.com/@Support4Z:b/📽️-A-🇬🇧-🇫🇷,--Russian-fiber-optic-FPV-drone-manages-to-find-a-gap-in-the-net:8
Another US-built M109 self-propelled howitzer recently got destroyed in Kharkov oblast: https://news-pravda.com/world/2025/04/09/1224707.html
Looks like Trump is pushing forward the Biden export license rule for high-end “AI” accelerators. Similar to what China implemented for rare earth minerals. NVidia is expecting a ~$5bn hit from this. Poor China, they will now have a harder time wasting energy on AI.
[edit] as is tradition, someone was buying big puts on NVDA the entire day before the announcement. Insider traders are making insane amounts of $$$.
Zionazi controlled University of Amsterdam, Neanderthalands 🇳🇱 sent plain clothed pig thugs to beat the shit out of peaceful protesters cw violence by pigs, reddit link
I have a feeling El Salvador will be an easy target for Dems to get revenge on if they win to score easy political points. I’m expecting sanctions. Lots of them.
This will only create more migrants and more Bukele-like figures in their neighboring countries. Castro in Honduras has also had a rather harsh crackdown on crime. So has everyone else in the region. But American liberals keep saying, “you’ve made a very powerful enemy” because just like when they use idpol, concern for others only matters when it’s Americans suffering or the bad guy of the year is doing it. Otherwise you can slowly choke on sanctions.
From the NYTimes live thread on the hearing of Kilmar Abrego Garcia:
Forcing the administration to reveal what it has done behind the scenes is an interim step on the way toward Judge Xinis figuring out if officials are in contempt of court. The judge also notes that this could be an uncomfortable process as the administration is compelled to answer specific questions and officials are possibly made to sit for depositions. She says she envisions the discovery process taking about two weeks. Suggesting how expeditiously she intends to move, Judge Xinis tells Drew Ensign, the Justice Department lawyer, that he should clear his calendar in order to arrange the discovery information she intends to request. “Cancel vacation,” she says. “Cancel other appointments. I’m usually pretty good about this in my courtroom, but not this time.”
Look at that, only two short weeks until they’ve legally figured out if the government didn’t “facilitate” Garcia’s return.
deeply unserious, why wait? just give them contempt now and get Garcia back home. others judges have given people contempt for less.
Due process of law/no due process of law cheatsheet.
This dude will be dead before the procedure is followed
But at least the rights of the perpetrators will have been respected.
Better to deport a million innocent people than convict just one poor and innocent white collar criminal
Article
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claims Ecuador’s election was a ‘shameful fraud’ orchestrated by right-wing forces and US imperialism, warning of regional threats.
In a recent address, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro did not hold back in his criticism of far-right candidate Daniel Noboa’s reelection as Ecuador’s president, calling it an “outrageous and shameful fraud.”
According to Maduro, the electoral process was orchestrated by the right-wing organization Súmate—founded by conservative activist María Corina Machado—which he accused of receiving funding from “imperialist” forces.
During his speech at a meeting with candidates from the Great Patriotic Pole “Simón Bolívar,” the Venezuelan leader insisted that Ecuador’s situation reflects a campaign of “psychological warfare” and “electoral scams” carried out by what he described as a fascist right-wing movement.
President Maduro warned that such electoral fraud not only impacts Ecuador but also poses a significant geopolitical threat to Latin America and the world.
The Venezuelan president further claimed that Noboa’s rise and international recognition are part of a broader plan to reassert political and economic control over nations that have fought for independence. He invoked historical figures like Antonio José de Sucre, Simón Bolívar, and Manuela Sáenz as symbols of resistance against foreign domination.
President Maduro tied these developments to what he called an “imperialist hegemony,” specifically pointing to the United States as the main force behind these maneuvers. He argued that these actions aim to reverse the emergence of a multipolar world, issuing a stark warning about the implications for Latin American sovereignty.
President Maduro’s remarks come amid heightened political and economic tensions in the region, where elections and political movements frequently spark controversy and mutual accusations. His rhetoric not only defends his government against domestic and international criticism but also calls for Latin American unity against what he frames as a shared threat.
CW: possible gore
possible satellite images of CECOT are floating around, searching by name on google maps is censored but if you put in the coordinates you get some results (at least you did yesterday, unsure about today). its as horrific as you imagine.
(note that info for this was sourced from twitter threads, please take with a massive grain of salt)
spoiler
Oh yeah. This. Before someone says, “THIS IS LITERALLY AUSCHWITZ” stop and refrain from using that reference with every detention center, concentration camp, prison, etc. that you come across.
It’s widely known that police brutality from the guards is a thing in CECOT. This is pretty common for the Northern Triangle. Guatemalan prisons have had similar incidents. It’s just that now international attention is on El Salvador that wasn’t there before.
Would not be surprised if they’re dead bodies and definitely not a good sign, but don’t run around thinking this is the same kind of industrial death camp you had in 1930’s Germany. At best it’s what the Americans had in the 1930s with worse living conditions. So maybe more like the detention center in Nauru that Australia had.
Possible scenario: We know CECOT has heavily armed guards with live ammo and automatic weapons inside the prison. No weapons lockers, they are carrying at all times (unlike U.S. prisons). There is enforced silence and lockdown, which destroys the human mind. Someone snaps. Riot team moves in, attacked physically and swarmed. Gunfire is sprayed into the large holding area from the catwalks. The guards finish off the survivors, including those not wounded because they accidentally shot and killed one of their own riot team and want revenge.
“Prison riot, with causalities. Ordered to remove bodies, clean up holding area, spray down blood”. Repeat a couple times a year.
I don’t think anyone here believes it’s an actual extermination camp, just a concentration camp like every other
deleted by creator
New Bastille dropped
Have a source with more info?
Didn’t buy it at first but there’s no way that isn’t a pile of bodies:
Tap for spoiler
Look at the bottom, there’s no way that’s anything but a body, blurry as it is
I get this:
What’s the deal with 9/11?
I forgot
If this were the TA sub, I’d say look into the dancing israels and the balcony art project on the 91st floor of tower 1. Two different things.
This reminds of that tragedy
KRAMER (busting in) You guys hear about Building 7?
GEORGE
Yes, Kramer! It’s the metaphorical tower of revisionism collapsing under the weight of its own contradictions!The one day that something happened
Peru court sentences ex-president Humala to 15 years for graft - France24
Article
A Peruvian court on Tuesday sentenced ex-president Ollanta Humala and his wife to 15 years in prison for graft linked to a globe-spanning corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction group Odebrecht paying bribes to politicians.
The court found the 62-year-old and his wife Nadine Heredia guilty of money laundering for receiving illegal contributions from Odebrecht and the Venezuelan government in two presidential campaigns.
Humala was taken into custody in the courtroom after the ruling, and Judge Nayko Coronado ordered the arrest of Heredia, who did not attend the sentencing hearing.
Humala, a former army officer who led the country from 2011 to 2016, became in 2022 the first Peruvian ex-president to go on trial in the Odebrecht corruption scandal, which has also seen three other former presidents implicated.
Two-term leader Alan Garcia committed suicide in 2019 when police came to his house to arrest him, while Alejandro Toledo (in power from 2001-06) was sentenced last year to more than 20 years in prison for accepting multi-million-dollar bribes in exchange for government contracts.
Investigations continue into the fourth ex-president who was implicated, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (in office from 2016-2018).
Prosecutors had sought a 20-year prison term for Humala and 26 years for Heredia for accepting $3 million in illegal contributions for his 2011 campaign from Odebrecht.
The company is considered responsible for one of the biggest foreign bribery schemes in history.
Bribes for influence
The pair were also charged with illegally diverting about $200,000 sent by Venezuela’s then-president Hugo Chavez for Humala’s failed 2006 campaign, and Heredia with “concealment of real estate purchases” made with some of the money.
They have consistently denied all charges, and Humala’s legal team said he would appeal the sentence.
In 2016, Odebrecht agreed to pay $3.5 billion in penalties in Brazil, the United States and Switzerland arising out of payments of more than $788 million in bribes to foreign leaders and government officials in order to win infrastructure projects.
The company admitted having paid at least $29 million in bribes to Peruvian officials between 2005 and 2014.
Leftist Humala came to the presidency in 2011 after beating right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori in a runoff election.
Fujimori herself spent 16 months in pre-trial detention in a case linked to Odebrecht.
I guess Verónika Mendoza is literally the only leftist left as a potential candidate for the 2026 presidential elections, since Vladimir Cerrón is having legal problems because he is the leader of Pedro Castillo’s party, the APRAistas are very weak and corrupt, and the Ethnocacerists (far-left Inca nationalists) have been banned by the Supreme Court from running, even though they were getting 15% to 18% of the vote in the opinion polls, against the Fujimoristas’ 18% to 21%. Humala is directly linked with the Ethnocacerists since Isaac Humala (His father) is the creator of the ideology, and his two brothers (also military guys) are the leaders.
