Global
The rise of plutozionism—the convergence of wealth-driven political influence and staunch pro-Israel advocacy—marks a significant and troubling evolution in the shaping of United States domestic and foreign policy. Within this framework, Israel has been increasingly integrated into a broader American-led global order, assuming a central role in sustaining U.S. hegemony in the Middle East. No longer simply an ally, Israel is positioned as a strategic pillar within a U.S.-dominated geopolitical architecture. The current U.S.-Israel war with Iran is a continuation of Zionism’s project of expanding its hegemony in the Middle East.
Fatima Ftouni, a Lebanese journalist with Al Mayadeen, was killed in an Israeli airstrike while traveling in a marked press vehicle near the village of Jezzine in southern Lebanon. Her death has sparked outrage, grief, and debate, with many calling her one of the most powerful voices documenting the human cost of war.
Fatima was killed along with her brother, Mohammed Ftouni, a cameraman with Al Mayadeen; Ali Shohaib, a veteran reporter for Al Manar TV; and one medic. Another journalist was wounded in the strike.
Only weeks before her murder, Fatima had lost seven relatives in an Israeli strike on her home. Her emotional reporting from the rubble went viral, making her a symbol of resilience and a reminder of the dangers journalists face in conflict zones. She preferred reporting from the front lines rather than from a safe distance.
Up to 15,000 of the 50,000 American troops in the Middle East region are being positioned to participate in an assault on Kharg Island, Iran’s critical oil export hub, with the aspiration that America, once in control of Kharg, will turn the tables and assume dominance, opening the Strait of Hormuz for the U.S. and allies, while cutting off Iran from its major source of oil revenue.
Marines and paratroopers, with air and naval support, are poised to invade Kharg’s heavily defended 25-mile coast which features rocky terrain, cliffs and in some places, flat limestone surfaces, each presenting its own strategic calculus and hazards. Special Operations may be tasked with the mission of capturing Iran’s enriched uranium, an equally perilous task.
The U.S. cannot invade and/or hold Kharg Island without taking heavy casualties. Iran has been preparing more than 20 years for an assault on the island and U.S. troops could face potential annihilation with counter-attack coming from all directions, air, land and sea, giving new meaning to Kharg Island’s nickname, ‘The Forbidden Island.’
71 percent of homeowners want solar panels
San Francisco-based software company Aurora Solar has released its fourth annual Solar Snapshot report, surveying more than 1,000 American homeowners, 1,000 solar professionals, and millions of projects managed by the Aurora software.
According to the report, 63 percent of solar installers expect that the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act and the federal Investment Tax Credit termination will "negatively impact their business." Additionally, 68 percent of homeowners with solar panels already installed say they benefited from the IRA's tax credits, and installers saw a "surge" in solar demand before the tax credit ended.
"Meanwhile, 71 percent of homeowners reported that they would like to install solar panels on their home, but 44 percent of those say it costs more than expected and nearly half don't think they can afford them without the IRA's tax credits.
We begin GREEP Zoom #262 with a down-home report from HEDY TRIPP in anti-ICE Minnesota.
From the Green Party’s HOWIE HAWKINS we hear the latest from anti-Putin Ukraine and its contrarian view of the Iran War.
From DONALD SMITH we hear an opposing view on Ukraine’s “fascist roots” and the Russo-Nazi heritage.
Our engineer STEVE CARUSO and co-host MIKE HERSH chime in on the need for true democracy in the wake of NoKings3.
Western Michigan’s ROGER RAPOPORT reports on the milestone announcement that the Palisades nuke will NOT go to full power, a VERY big step toward a post-nuke future.
From Kalamazoo, KEVIN KAMPS underscores the insanity of opening new atomic reactors in the age of drone warfare.
Legendary safe energy godfather KARL GROSSMAN reminds us of the mess that accompanied the attempt to run Long Island's Shoreham nuke at low power.
The truly game-changing M.V.RAMANA reminds us that renewables are the only route to planetary survival.
In the wake of 8 million marchers at No Kings 3, Topanga’s highly exalted DOROTHY REIK demands “regime change” in the United States.
American democracy has survived wars, economic collapses, and political scandals. But now it faces a structural crisis: a willful denial of systemic election vulnerabilities.
The Election Truth Alliance (ETA) is confronting an affliction at the heart of U.S. democratic infrastructure: that American elections are no longer secure, and why independent validation is the best and only remedy.
While the global economy relies on the stability of the U.S. Federal Reserve, the systems safeguarding our elections currently operate under security standards that would fail a local credit union. In this vacuum, independent analysis and audits to ensure votes are counted accurately should be treated as a national security imperative.
Investigations by ETA have become instrumental in identifying where systemic anomalies require urgent intervention.
The judgment on the Trump administration’s war on Iran is already largely settled across mainstream media, public opinion, and much of the analytical sphere.
What remains supportive of the war is limited to two predictable camps: official government discourse and the president’s most loyal supporters, along with entrenched pro-Israel constituencies.
Beyond these circles, the war is widely understood as reckless, unjustified, and strategically incoherent.
Among the wider American public, this conclusion is not abstract. It is shaped by growing unease, economic anxiety, and a mounting sense that the war lacks both purpose and direction.
As of October 2025, over 11,000 Palestinians are reportedly being held in Israeli prisons. This is the highest recorded number in over 25 years, and it is no doubt correlated to the ramped-up raid operations in the West Bank and Gaza intended to subdue the population. In Lebanon, we see Israel’s imperial violence escalating by the day, bombing cities and taking innocent people as prisoners. Israel uses its prison system to stifle resistance so it can continue its genocide freely, and since October 7, 2023, it has banned the Red Cross from entering to visit the prisoners.
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Palestinian and Lebanese political prisoners include children, women, and men. Their treatment inside Israeli prisons is nothing short of torture and systemic abuse. The Red Cross has international leverage to call for an investigation of the human rights abuses by Israel in its prisons.* They must use this leverage now.
Join CODEPINK in the global campaign to tell The Red Cross to use its power to serve Palestinian and Lebanese prisoners!