Is Israel furtively indulging in slow-motion ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza to South Africa and other countries? South Africa suspects yes. Political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou bring you up to speed on this shocking story as well as alleged prosecutorial screw-ups threatening the high-profile indictment of James Comey to global shifts in migration and education.
- Comey Indictment in Jeopardy: A federal magistrate judge drops a scathing 24-page ruling, slamming inexperienced prosecutor Lindsey Halligan for "fundamental and highly prejudicial" misstatements of law during her solo grand jury appearance seeking charges against former FBI Director James Comey for lying to Congress in his notorious 2020 testimony. Judge William E. Fitzpatrick orders immediate disclosure of incomplete grand jury materials to Comey's lawyers, raising "genuine issues of misconduct" that could force dismissal, while prosecutors scramble with an emergency halt request. The jurist’s extraordinary rebuke, amid doubts over Halligan's legitimacy, underscores unraveling Justice Department efforts, including Trump's ousting of her predecessor for insufficient evidence.
- US International Student Enrollment Plummets: New research finds a 17% drop in first-time international student enrollments at US universities this fall, driven by Trump administration visa delays, denials, and heightened scrutiny including mandatory social media checks following pro-Palestine campus protests. The Institute of International Education's survey across 828 institutions notes a modest 1% overall decline but warns of steeper losses in the future, as 84% of schools say they prioritize foreign recruitment amid $55 billion economic contributions. Universities respond with 39% more deferrals, countering factors like travel restrictions affecting 2% of students and growing perceptions of an unwelcoming environment, despite Trump's recent pledge to double Chinese student visas for business gains.
- South Africa Rejects Palestinian Charter Flights: South Africa's Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola bans additional chartered flights carrying Palestinians, calling the recent arrival of 153 from Gaza a "clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank" in an orchestrated global resettlement push. The group, routed via Nairobi without prior coordination, endured over 10 hours stranded at OR Tambo Airport due to missing departure stamps before intervention by a charity allowed 130 to enter the RSA on compassionate grounds. This follows a similar flight two weeks prior, amid Israel's voluntary relocation rhetoric criticized internationally, as South Africa—long a Palestinian ally since Mandela's era—investigates amid its ICJ genocide case against Israel.
- UN Security Council OKs Trump Plan: Highlights include the deployment of an international peacekeeping force and a possible path to a sovereign Palestinian state. The resolution, passed by a vote of 13-0 with abstentions by China and Russia, was the price the US paid for backing from the Arab and Islamic world, who are expected to provide peacekeepers. However, Netanyahu, restated his adamant opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state. Hamas rejected what it described as an imposed “international guardianship mechanism” and insisted it would not disarm. What now?